“T” Watch Cap

Overview

The Times Magazine tipped its hat to the knit cap, calling it the “simplest defense against the elements.” Stay warm and look sharp all winter with The Times’s retro cap, made of 100 percent cotton and produced on the same industrial knitting machines used to make stitch Army gear during World War II.

The knit or watch cap “is the modern standard, virtuous in its blankness — a status-neutral hat,” wrote The Times. “However it is worn — snug and action-star tough, or pert and go-getter jaunty, or with its cuff carefully skewed to imitate devil-may-care rakishness — it looks democratic. It is built for lying low and blending in.”

We prefer to call our hat a watch cap, a nod to American servicemen who wore similar headwear during the war. Each cap has the DNA of the Greatest Generation, made on the actual Tompkins USA knitting machines that produced clothing for the Army. Our cap contains a five-gauge knit body and a three-gauge knit crown to give it a classic, retro look. Even the double-sided clench label, showing our iconic "T" logo, is made on a 1950s needle loom machine to preserve the caps authenticity.

The cap has work-wear sensibility while looking perfect with peacoats, backpacks, boots or business casual. It is created with dense yarn for super softness and comfort once worn in. Because it’s 100% cotton, the cap won’t pill or itch.

The watch cap is made by the Knickerbocker Manufacturing Company, which took over a 60-year-old manufacturing company in Brooklyn and prides itself in making apparel completely in America.

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