Private company

Nixon

Logo: Nixon, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons³

American apparel and accessories company

Nixon is an American watches and accessories brand, founded in 1997 in Encinitas, California, United States by Andy Laats and Chad DiNenna. In the past, Nixon had operated stand-alone retail stores in Berkeley, California, as well as Bondi and Melbourne, Australia, and Kuta, Bali. As of April 2025, Nixon no longer operates standalone stores, and instead works with retail partners and an online store to sell watches.² Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1997Founded¹

HeadquartersEncinitas¹
Websitewww.nixon.com

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The story

Nixon was founded in 1997 by Andy Laats and Chad DiNenna in Encinitas, California.

Both Laats and DiNenna worked in the action sports industry prior to founding Nixon. Laats, a former snowboard product manager at Burton with an engineering degree from Cornell University, was in the process of earning his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Stanford University when he and DiNenna met to discuss the startup of Nixon. DiNenna, originally from Southern California, had studied communications at California State University, Long Beach and previously worked in publishing at TransWorld Media for five years prior to the launch of Nixon.

Laats and DiNenna raised nearly US$1 million from venture capitalists to start Nixon and, in 1997, the debut catalog was released; seven models were released through 200 retailers. Nixon opened a subsidiary in France in 2000, and by 2005 had 90 models, and 60 employees, with sales growing by 55 percent annually.

As of April 2025, Nixon no longer operates standalone retail stores. Nixon watches can be found in retail partners like Tilley's and Macy's, and purchased online through the Nixon website. In addition to their Carlsbad, California headquarters, Nixon maintains a global presence with offices in France and Australia.

From Wikipedia’s article on Nixon (company), shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.⁴

Products and brands

watch

Listed on Wikidata.¹

Watches

Nixon sells many models of wristwatches, digital and analog, for men and women, with movements from Japan and Switzerland. The brand has several watch models that are considered "collector's items" amongst the many fans of the brand. These models, including the Nixon Time Teller and the Nixon 51-30 Chrono, are regularly updated with new colors and materials.

Nixon offers customers the opportunity to personalize watch purchases, depending on where the watch is purchased from. Customers located in the United States and Canada are able to build custom watches. This process involves selecting the watch case, dial, chronograph hand and watch band. Customers within the United States are able to add a custom engraved message to the back of select watch styles, including popular models like the Time Teller and 51-30 Chrono.

Nixon often works with other brands to create collaborative watch collections. Collaboration partners have come from various industries, such as:

Film & TV: Including Disney properties like Star Wars

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Music: Including popular bands and artists like Metallica, Grateful Dead, 2PAC and Nirvana

Art: Including artists such as Hannah Eddy

Action Sports: Including brands such as Santa Cruz, Independent and Spitfire

Though they previously made a smartwatch, Nixon no longer offers connected watches.

Today, the most popular watches from the Nixon catalog include the Nixon 51-30 Chrono, the Nixon Sentry, and the Nixon Time Teller. These models are often refreshed in seasonal capsules, including collaborations and new colors. Each of these Nixon watches are analog.

The Nixon Heat, an ultra-thin 10 ATM digital sports watch, is one of the brand's most popular and iconic digital watches.

Clothing & Accessories

In addition to men's and women's watches, Nixon offers a line of clothing and accessories. Items include shirts, sweatshirts, bags, hats, wallets and belts.

Audio

In 2009, Nixon released its first audio products with a line of headphones and has since expanded to include portable speakers. At the time of this writing, Nixon no longer sold any audio products.

Locking Looper Patent

Nixon holds the patent for the watch band closure system known as the "Locking Looper". The mechanism uses a looped band construction that threads through itself and locks in place, providing a secure and adjustable fit without traditional pin-and-buckle hardware. The design was developed with active sports use in mind, addressing the limitations of conventional watch band closures for surfers, skateboarders, and snowboarders. The Locking Looper has been incorporated into multiple Nixon watch lines since its introduction and remains a feature of the brand's surf and tide watch category.