Vintage Space & Science Fiction 1935-1974 Character Watches

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

Vintage Space & Science Fiction 1935-1974 Character Watches

Vintage Apollo Space Pacer, Buck Rogers, Buzz Corey Space Patrol, Dan Dare, Rocky Jones Space Ranger, Space Explorer, Space Mouse, Star Trek, Tom Corbett Space Cadet character watches.

To see Space & Science Fiction watches after 1975, click here

Buck Rogers was the first SPACE character watch made back in 1935 as a pocket watch. Ingraham produced this Buck Rogers pocket watch with Buck holding his ray gun and Wilma at his side. This has copper lightning bolt hands with a smaller second-hand inset dial.

On the back of the case, Ingraham embossed the One-Eyed Monster. 

Box is rare today.

16 years later, space related shows began to take off in the 1950's with "Space Patrol" and the 30th-century adventures of Commander-in-Chief Buzz Corey television and radio shows. 
Here is a very plain and simple Buzz Corey watch by US Time marked with the name "Space Patrol" on it, 12 black regular numbers and 12 red numbers for military time, with red hands including a second hand. Watch is common today. These came in a nice box with a compass which are very rare today and rarely seen just like the 1951 Captain Liberty watch.

In 1951, Ingraham produced the Tom Corbett Space Cadet watch with original leather band with space design on it. The watch has Corbett's name at the very top on a yellow background, a picture of a yellow rocket in the background and is marked Space Cadet in bright red at the top with lightning bolt red hands. This also came in a Deluxe model with a stainless-steel expansion band.

In the 1950s Ingersoll, in the UK, produced several different 1950s Dan Dare pocket watches with space themes that are highly collectible. Dan Dare is the British science fiction comic hero from Eagle comics. Here is Dan Dare with monster first run where it says Ingersoll in large type at the top, larger than Dan Dare. The Eagle people, who produced "Dan Dare" had them change that in later runs. He is wearing his space suit and helmet. His arm moves up and down to tick off the seconds as if he's firing at the green monster along with a sub dial where his rocket ship spins to count the seconds all on an alien planet like background in yellow, pinkish and blue along with the green monster, white numbers and white hands to tell the time. Marked made in GT. Britain.

As with Buck Rogers above, the back should be embossed with a design, this time an Eagle and written Eagle in large letters as shown below.

 Here is a 1950s Dan Dare Space Ship pocket watch by Ingersoll. Eagle was a British children's comic best known for "Dan Dare, Pilot of the Future" and "Riders Of The Range" which featured Western hero Jeff Arnold. Dan Dare is at the bottom in his space suit working the controls as his head ticks back and forth for the seconds while he looks out to a colorful space station all while the red star spins at the bottom also to indicate the seconds on a beautiful blue background with white numbers and white enameled hands to tell the time. Marked made in GT. Britain.

In 1954, Ingraham produced the Rocky Jones Space Ranger for their TV serial. This large tank style watch colorfully pictures Rocky waving in his blue and yellow flight suit as if he's about to embark with his rocket behind him. Marked Space Ranger Rocky Jones at the top in red, it has several yellow moons and stars and has the even number in red and the odds show as just red dots with black marks for the minutes and lightning bolt red hands. It came with a desirable custom leather band marked with the ranger logo on it. Sadly, no space related watches for the next 14 years.

In 1963, Bradley produced this "Astronaut" Space Explorer watch with nice colors showing off a yellow spaceship, planet, moon and stars on a white background with black numbers, black minute marks and black hands to tell the time. Marked Space Explorer, Swiss made with the standard Bradley movement at the time. 

In 1969, Bradley produced this Space Explorer watch with rotating astronaut and space capsule for the second hand. It has full white numerals for each five minute with white numbers and white minute marks along with black hands to tell the time all on a starred blue dial background. Came with expansion band.

  Here is a late 1960s or 1970s Apollo Space Pacer watch (according to the insert) which portrays two astronauts on a space walk. The smaller astronaut ticks back and forth to count of the seconds while the larger astronaut supervisors both teethed to the capsule with the moon and earth in the background all on a dark blueish background with gold numbers and black minute marks and silver hands with red inserts to tell the time. Marked Swiss made and internally marked Agon Chromatic Watch Corp, one jewel unadjusted.

here is the insert

In 1972, Citizen, for the Walter Lantz Production Company produced this Space Mouse watch based on their cartoon at the time and came with a Japanese movement. Space Mouse is on a white background with a moon and stars in the background, black numbers with black minute marks, a pink second hand and his arms to tell the time, always plus with character watches. Signed by his creator Walter Lantz at the bottom.

You can see more of Space Mouse on my Walter Lantz blog.

 In 1974, Paramount Pictures produced this Star Trek USS Enterprise watch for the movie, Swiss made, electronically timed with a picture of the Enterprise on a space background with white numbers and gold hands including a gold second hand to tell the time. Marked 1974 Paramount Pictures Corp. All rights reserved ASA Inc.

In 1977, Bradley, together with 20th Century Fox Film Corporation produced two watches to mark the launch of the Star Wars movie, both with the standard Bradley Swiss movement. These simple watches usually came in Bradley's standard plastic square box or in the roundish (known as the coffin style) box. 

 

 

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/
 


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