Today’s millennials may gravitate towards “smart” watches that can do everything but make a cup of coffee, but many collectors are still interested in the character watches that had their heyday in the 1950s. With faces that used Disney characters, baseball stars, and movie heroes, these watches were all the rage among us Baby Boomers.
Today children may be more apt to wear a watch with Captain America on the front than one without any figures. Character watches are the perfect expression of our love of pop culture..
The earliest chracter watch made by Ingersoll had Buster Brown on the dial. It was on a pocket watch and was the earliest example that I could find.
The comic strip scamp was famous in America in the early 1900’s, so it was only natural that he wind up on the face of the first character watch.
The Buster Brown watch merely featured a static image of the character on the back plate. The hands and other mechanisms of the watch remained standard.
In 1933 Mickey Mouse,Walt Disney’s most famous creation was used to introduce the Ingersoll-Waterbury Mickey Mouse watch, and it was more than just an image on a back plate. The watch used the mouse’s arms to point out the correct time. The Mickey Mouse watch was a huge hit, opening the door to other Disney Characters and a whole host of other celebrities that would end up on a watch face.
By the late 1950s, nearly 30 million Mickey Mouse watches had been sold. During this time, Disney unleashed a torrent of character watches featuring all of their most popular creations. Donald Duck, Davy Crockett, Jiminy Cricket, Snow White, Goofy and Minnie Mouse and other top Disney characters.
Additionally, companies like McDonalds and Coca Cola used these novelty watches to act as a form of advertisement.
Cartoon Watches
Super Hero Characters
Political watches
Elvis
Sports Character watches
Comic strip Characters
What is your favorite Character watch??
8 Comments
Marjorie McDermott
Hi Mark, on & off thru the years, I’ve been looking for an original Cinderella watch from the 1950’s . I had one & I remember it had a blue fabric watchband. I don’t think there were any other characters on the watch face itself…. just Cinderella.
Thanks for keeping your eye out for this watch.
All the best,
Margie McDermott
Joel
Very informative article. Thanks for sharing it.
Best regards,
Joel
Kathleen DeCarlo
Hi Mark. I enjoyed this character article. I have a Cinderella watch from the fifties I think with the statue that went with it and a Minnie Mouse watch . I didn’t realize how popular they are. Very interesting. Thank you
Scott & Gail
While not a character watch, our older son who’s now married and working in the Koblenz area, still wears the larger Lego watch that’s no longer available.
Rick
Mark, I have the Goofy watch. It is delight to have to read a watch arranged in reverse that runs backwards! It is a hoot.
Steve
Thanks for the post.I had a Micky during my college days.that is about all. I had some Buster Shoes way back then.lol.
Manh Pham
Hi, Mark,
It is a wonderful time to revive the good old days with character watches as your blogs have always proved.
Some character clocks are seen on the walls of restaurants or buffets or stores. They are good to look at.
Best regards,
Manh Pham
Rick
I have a Homer Simpson with Indiglo. Lol. It’s a UK import.