Vintage Mickey Mouse Character watch, the Original Character Watch

It's always time for character watches...Watches with Character.

Vintage Mickey Mouse character watches.

In 1933, Walt Disney, along with his merchandising man Herman 'Kay' Kamen started the
"Character Watch" concept with Mickey Mouse when they began selling merchandise based on Disney characters. Disney contracted with Ingersoll-Waterbury to produce a complete line of Mickey Mouse wristwatches, pocket and lapel watches & clocks.  The very first sold at the Chicago World Fair in June 1933 for $3.25. The second series sold that fall with the same face design, the same numbers 5 & 7 on the dial (being the same size as the other numbers) but with a less ornate case and bezel. The third series (1934/35) had spring bar case, the numerals 5 and 7 smaller & fitted under Mickey's knees and came in the "red 'critter" box.  

 

 

The pocket watch came with a leather strap with a  Mickey fob emblem. The dial is marked "Mickey Mouse Ingersoll", the second hand has three Mickey's "running" as it ticks and the back of the pocket watch has a Mickey embossed on it.

The wrist watch came with either a metal link band or a leather band both have Mickey Mouse images on them. The bezel is 30 mm diameter. The front of the "critter

box" was marked either Wrist Watch or Pocket Watch.

This early pendent watch (below) with enameled bezel had the same face design and allowed you to pin the enamel pendent to your shirt or jacket which left the watch hanging. You could then pull the watch down to read the time, then the retracting cord would pull it back in place when you released the watch.

In late 1935 / '36 and '37 Ingersoll only made one modification to the earlier model with the additional print "made in U.S.A." on the dial and it came in a larger blue box.

  Here is the 1935/36 leather band with Mickey images and the modified "made in the U.S.A."on the left side of the dial face.

There were several special versions for the UK market of wrist and pocket watches also.

In 1934 and 1936, this English (UK) version was produced by Ingersoll Ltd. of London for the British market. Note his pants are larger & known as "Balloon Trousers Mickey" and he has a tail that hangs down to the number seven. The 1936 version has his pants more normal, his nose is not so "rat-ish" and his tail sticks out toward the number nine and another slight difference has his face a bit more red blush, all expensive at the time and more rare today.

Starting in 1937 and through to 1942, Ingersoll introduced several types of rectangular cases in the art deco style of the time. The second hand no longer had the three small Mickeys replacing them with a regular watch hand now as Mickey himself slowly changes too matching his cartoons at the time. These continued to sell in the larger blue box as shown below.

From 1938 to 1942, Ingersoll  produced the five notch case (5 notches on each side of the bezel) in the blue box for $2.95 now. Also note Mickey has a tail in US version now too.

In 1938, Ingersoll created the Mickey Mouse Lapel watch considered by most collectors as the most beautiful and desirable. It came with a rope and fob that you could attach to your button hole.

The back of the lapel watch has a must have decal of Mickey on the move and also sold in the larger blue box for $1.50. This design was used for the Hopalong Cassidy pocket watch and copied by New Haven for the Lone Ranger pocket watch.

All production was stopped from 1942-1945 due
to WWII.

In 1946, Disney was anxious to get back to business and had Kelton (US Time which was formerly Ingersoll) rush out the first post war Mickey and the first ever to have just Mickey's face on it. The initial rarer version only showed the numbers 3,6,9,& 12 & are marked Kelton. The second version has all 12 numbers and is marked WDP as shown here. Both had a short limited run.

There wouldn't be another Mickey watch with just his face for decades.  

 

 

For $12.95, Mickey came in a 10k gold plated bezel in a flip top box

and is extremely rare today due to limited production. Note the face is marked  "WDP" for
Walt Disney Productions now.

In 1947, Disney had US time (formerly Ingersoll) mass produce the latest Mickey Mouse watch. One of the most produced Mickey watches and still very common today. The printed name "Ingersoll" at the top of the box was changed to "New" later in the year. The later version watches also dropped the printed name "Ingersoll" on the face and only has WDP.

This watch came with a printed dial marked WDP for $6.95 for the silver tone. 

 

For a dollar more, you could get a gold tone (see below) which is more rare today. They both came with red or blue vinyl bands. Here you have an earlier version with "Ingersoll" printed on the dial along with WDP. Notice Mickey is more child like now, thinner and still with a tail.

In 1948 you could also get the special "Birthday Series" version to celebrate Mickey's 20th by Ingersoll. There was a regular model and a De Luxe model with luminous dials. This "Birthday Series" can be seen on my Disney blog. They created a version of 10 character watches, including Bambi, Bongo, Donald, Daisy, Dopey, Jiminy Cricket, José Carioca, Pinocchio, Pluto & of course Mickey Mouse.

Disney's "Birthday Series" was so popular, they did another run of ALL the same characters in 1949 almost the same but most characters stood slightly outside the circle now (Bambi and Pluto are the exceptions) and with luminous features. Notice below how Mickey stands just outside the circle.

The fifties were marked with smaller watches for children's small wrists mostly still marked Ingersoll and a design that sadly barely changed for 20 years. 

Here is a mid 1950's Ingersoll, US time Mickey Mouse watch basically the same as 1947 but with a smaller round bezel now. 

 These came in these simple red topped boxes with a unique pop out Mickey inside where Mickey "pops out" and is wearing his watch. Box is hard to find today.

Here is an even smaller 1960's Mickey with same exact design.

 

Ingersoll was including  plastic figures of the same characters to match the watch now.

By the late sixties, the character watch market had been in decline with nothing new to offer and in 1971, Ingersoll US Time (now called Timex) ended making Mickey Mouse Watches after over three decades.
Disney contracted with Elgin National Industries whose Helbros division created the 1972 - 17 jewel Mickey Mouse watch along with a Minnie Mouse watch and a Goofy watch.

All three high quality watches are highly collectable today as they were well made and were high priced at the time at $19 so few (in comparison) were sold.

Goofy remains today one of the most unique and very collectible character watches known as   “Backwards Goofy” which runs "backwards" or counter-clockwise.

Helbros also made special orders....Here is a special Mickey by Helbros made specifically for Hertz Rental car 1972, pretty rare today so usually expensive!

Elgin's Bradley Watchmakers division took over in late 1972 through 1987 marketing a wide range of diverse Mickey Mouse watches for every taste and some exclusive to Disneyland as shown below.

These were sold exclusively for the park marked Disneyland at the top of each with Mickey’s rotating hands in bright red gloves or yellow for slightly later version both with Swiss movements.

Here are just a few examples of the many Bradley versions produced in the 70's & 80's.

Mickey nodder, his head nods as it ticks

Gold Tone pocket watch & chain with embossed train on the back

Disco Mickey with Mickey looking just like Travolta in "Saturday Night Fever"

For this super special Mickey watch, Bradley Time had special full color packaging which included a seven inch disco mouse record and disco Mickey portrait. The front had a see through area to display the watch. What an awesome box.

 

Even the back of the box is awesome.

 Mickey "jump hour" watch

Mickey & Minnie dancing watch where the background changes, very rare

Tank style Mickey

1976 Mickey Bicentennial wrist watch

1976 Mickey Bicentennial pocket watch & chain with embossed Liberty Bell on the back

Mickey Bubble watch (instead of a flat crystal, its a larger bubble shape)

 

  Check out this ultra rare Mickey Mouse jogger watch with red numbers as race signs on a gold background, red hands to tell the time and of course jogging Mickey Mouse that rotates for the seconds. Marked Swiss made, Walt Disney Productions. What a prize!

Here is a rare Mickey Mouse playing soccer where his foot ticks back and forth for the seconds by Bradley 1978. Smiling Mickey is dressed in a blue and white outfit to play soccer about to kick the soccer ball into the goal on a white background with black numbers, black minute marks and black hands to tell the time. Marked Bradley, Swiss made, Walt Disney Productions. This is featured on my Sports blog also. I've also seen Mickey in a red and white outfit on a half green (to look like grass) background.

Here is a 1970s Mickey Mouse Club watch by Bradley. Smiling Mickey's head is the main focus on a white background with black numbers on a red background, black minute marks on a white background and red hands with white tips to tell the time. Marked Bradley at the top, Swiss made & Walt Disney Productions in white at the bottom. These also came with white numbers.

 

Here is a 1970s Mickey Mouse Club watch by Bradley. This is a seldom seen club watch with a smaller smiling Mickey's head but its still the main focus on a white background with white numbers on a red background, black minute marks on a white background and black hands including a black second hand to tell the time. Marked Bradley at the top, Swiss made & Walt Disney Productions at the bottom. A rare find.

Here is a 1970s Mickey Mouse Time Teacher by Bradley with just a smiling Mickey's head on a light blue background with white hour numbers, blue minute numbers for 0-59 a white hour hand and a blue minute hand to tell the time. Marked Time Teacher by Bradley, Swiss made & Walt Disney Productions at the bottom

 

Finally 50 years after the first Mickey watch, Disney via Bradley put out a high quality anniversary watch in 1983, limited edition with the back embossed with the edition number.

For more information on Mickey Mouse Watches, see http://75yearsfortheinegersollmickey.blogspot.com


For more Information on Watches see:
The National Watch and Clock Museum:  https://nawcc.org/index.php/museum

The West Coast Clock & watch museum https://www.agsem.com/West-Coast-Clock-and-Watch-Museum.php which is located at the Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum http://www.agsem.com/
 

Any thoughts can be emailed to characterwatchtime@gmail.com

How much is your character watch worth???

For Legal info: https://characterwatchtime.blogspot.com/2019/03/legal-info.html
  

It's always time for character watches...Watches with Character.