It's always time for character watches...Watches with Character.
Vintage Ballerina, Boy Scout, Howdy Doody, Joe Palooka, Li'l Abner, Little Orphan Annie, Hoky Poky magician, Junior Nurse, Punkinhead, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Smitty character watches.
I chose to break down my listing of character watches by studio, character or group so of course we have some uncategorized watches that have to be presented, here are some of the more popular from the 30's,40's, & 50's.
Disney's Mickey Mouse character watches by Ingersoll really started the character watch movement (as noted in my Mickey Mouse blog) in 1933 followed closely by these amazing watches based on highly popular comic strips of the time.
The New Haven Clock & Watch Company produced the first with three different characters with the same watch movements starting in about 1935. Dick Tracy (as noted in my superhero blog), Orphan Annie and Smitty each exclusively for Famous Artists Syndicate.
by oldest first:
In about 1935, the New Haven Clock & Watch Company produced this large pre-war Smitty watch based on the nationally syndicated Smitty comic strip which started in the early 1920's and ran for 50 years. Office boy Smitty is wearing a green and white sweater, bow tie, black pants with green leggings, tan shoes and an orange cap on a white background.
Marked PAT IS APPLIED FOR at the top and Berndt (his creator) at the bottom it
has black numbers, black minute marks with regular watch hands to tell the
time. These are super rare today, here with the original metal link band too.
Here is an unusual specially painted Smitty also by the New Haven Clock & Watch Company. Here office boy Smitty is wearing a red and white sweater, bow tie, black pants with yellow leggings & yellow vest, tan shoes and an green cap on a white background.
Marked PAT IS APPLIED FOR at the top and Berndt (his creator) at the bottom it
has black numbers, black minute marks with regular watch hands to tell the
time. A cool and fine example except for the aged crystal.
Also, about 1935, the New Haven Clock & Watch Company produced this large pre-war Little Orphan Annie "sport" watch based on the long running
comic strip created by Harold Gray. I can't find why it’s called a
"sport" watch (per the ad), perhaps to appeal to children. Annie is
shown with her reddish/blond curly hair dressed in her usual red outfit with
white leggings and black shoes. Her hands are pointed as if they are the
watch hands but aren't, having a little fun with the well selling Mickey Mouse
watches at the time whose hands pointed out the time on a white background with black numbers, black
minute marks and hands (with space in them) to tell the time, it has the same
movement and hands as Dick Tracy and Smitty models of the time. Marked Harold
Gray. They sold so many there are a lot out there.
These came in these colorful hinged cardboard boxes with Annie and Sandy running, perhaps that's the "sport" part these watches were referred by. Also marked Harold Gray on the top. On the sides Annie is checking her watch and on the front side Mr. Warbucks is asking "What is the correct time, Annie?" This box still has the original seller jeweler's stamp in the upper left. This one has the original link metal band. Inside box top says "A GUARANTEED AMERICAN WATCH for the AMERICAN GIRL Stylish and Accurate Smart as Orphan Annie herself Licensed by Paul R. Gruen Inc. watch division THE NEW HAVEN CLOCK CO."
In the 1930's, Ingersoll produced this detailed Boy Scout watch with hands that point to the boy scout laws. The hour hand says "be prepared" while the minute hand says "A Scout is" and points to each of the Scout laws, "Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent" which are located around the outer part of the dial which also has a picture of a camp ground and shore line with white numbers on black circles and includes a second hand sub dial with the Scouts emblem that rotates. These are still highly collectable today.
In
1946, Ingraham produced this Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. This version has Rudolph facing to the right inside a green
outlined rectangle on a white background. It has black hands with red numbers with
green minute marks and his nose has marks as if it is lit up. Marked Made
in the USA at the bottom. These were sold at Montgomery Ward’s department
stores.
In 1947 Ingraham produced this
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer with Rudolph facing to the left this time. This
version has Rudolph inside a green outlined rectangle on a white background. It
has red hands with green numbers and green minute marks and his red nose has
red marks as if it is lit up. Marked Made in the USA at the bottom. These
were sold at Montgomery Ward’s department stores.
In 1947, The New Haven Clock &
Watch Company produced this Joe Palooka watch based on the long running comic
strip created by Ham Fisher in 1930. You have Joe in his boxing shorts and
boxing gloves ready to fight on a white background. Marked Ham Fisher and USA
at the bottom. It has regular black hands to tell the time along with black
numbers and black minute marks. Hard to find today.
These watches came in these simple but colorful boxes with matching inserts.
In 1949, Acco produced this Hoky
Poky Magician watch with an animated hand that ticks off the seconds and
appears the magician is switching cards. The magician is dressed in a top hat
and bow tie with a a blue suit and red lapels. This is similar to their Gene Autry moving gun watch at the same time with luminous numbers
and hands to tell the time. Marked 1949 Acco at the bottom.
In 1951 or so, Ingraham produced
this Punkinhead "the sad little bear" watch based on the Canadian
children's book character by Charles Thorson. You have Punkinhead with his
normal unruly orange hair sitting peacefully in the center on a white
background with gold numbers and black hands to tell the time. Marked Made in
the USA at the bottom. A rare find today. There is also a larger face watch that is also seldom seen.
In 1951, The New Haven Clock &
Watch Company produced this Li'l Abner watch based on the comic strip by Al
Capp that ran for over 40 years. Here you have Li'l Abner saluting the U.S. flag
with his throat appearing to gulp. He is dressed in a red uniform and it has a
U.S. flag which moves back and forth to tick off the seconds. This is the same
movement they used for the Gene Autry & Dick Tracy moving gun watches at
the same time. New Haven made three different models, this one, then two with
smiling (not saluting) Abner, one with a moving flag and one with a moving
donkey head. Marked USA 1951 Swiss copyr 1951 at the top, Swiss made on the
side and New Haven Clock & Watch Co. at the bottom. These are hard to find
today especially intact and working.
Here is the harder to find smiling Abner. Li'l Abner is smiling at the U.S. Flag with his normal dazed look dressed in a red shirt all on a white background with luminous numbers, black minute marks and luminous hands too tell the time along with the grand old U.S. flag which moves back and forth to tick off the seconds. Marked USF 1951 at the top, Swiss made on the
bottom. These are hard to find
today especially intact and working.
Here is the hardest to find 1951 version of Li'l Abner by The New Haven Clock &
Watch Company. Li'l
Abner is smiling at a grinning donkey with his normal dazed look dressed in
a red shirt all on a white background with luminous numbers, black
minute marks and luminous hands too tell the time along with the donkey head which moves back and forth to tick off the seconds. Marked USF 1951 at the top, Swiss made on the bottom. These are hard to find
today especially intact and working.
In the1950s, The New Haven Clock & Watch Company produced another Little Orphan Annie watch, this time again smaller than the 1948 version, but the same basic representation as before with Annie and her reddish/blond curly hair dressed in red
wearing her black shoes and still pointing as if her hands tell the
time, but they don't all on a white background with black numbers, black minute
marks and regular black watch hands to tell the time. Marked Harold Gray.
These came in these colorful but simple presentation boxes with Annie and her dog Sandy, nearly the same as the 1948 version.
In the 1950s, the Patent Watch Co. of New York produced this Swiss made one jewel movement Howdy Doody watch with a smiling freckled face Howdy wearing his red bandana. His eyes move slowly (with the hour hand) as the time changes. It has white numbers on black squares with each tan-ish letters spelling out his name for each number (except for the 6 & 12). Signed Bob Smith (the creator of Howdy Doody) at the top and Swiss made on the bottom. Good luck finding a working one, thankfully an expert watch repair person can get it back into shape.
These came in these cool boxes with plastic fronts so you can see the watch. Sold as "the only watch with movable eyes", which it was at the time, the colorful box also included a pic of Clarabell and Flub-a-Dub and Bob Smith's name at the bottom. What kid wouldn't want one of these......hard to find in the box today.
In 1954, Ingraham produced this Howdy Doody watch with the face of smiling Howdy Doody at the bottom six position, Clarabell the clown's face at the top twelve position, Phineas T. Bluster's face at the nine position and Princess SummerFallWinterSpring's face at the three positions. It came with white numbers on a blue background and red hands to tell the time.
Mid 1950's, here is Li'l Abner again by U.S. Time this time in a smaller watch. Smiling, wavy haired li'l Abner is in his uniform with the strap clearly showing down his left side. Just the upper half of him is depicted on a white background with silver numbers and black hands to tell the time. Marked Made in the USA at the bottom and UFS near his head for United Features Syndicate for this seldom seen treasure.
In 1956, Bradley also produced this Junior Nurse watch for the kid’s market. It
has a young blonde lady nurse dressed in her white uniform, holding a tray with
possibly some medicine on a black background against a peach-colored background
with black numbers, black minute marks and black hands to tell the time.
In 1958, Bradley produced this Ballerina watch to appeal to the girl’s market. Marketed as "The most fascinating watch created for girls!" The color animated ballerina "actually dances as her toes point out the time" stated the watch ad. Dancing in her red dress with yellow polka dots on a yellow background with a blue outer circle to show off the black numbers and black minute marks and her legs to tell the time. This is the same model as the junior League and Nurse watches above. In the 60's, Bradley will produce a different ballerina watch without the moving legs which makes this version more desirable and harder to find.
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.wccwm.org/ 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.
