Vintage Advertising Food Related (A - C) Character Watches

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

Vintage A&W Root Beer Bear Rooty, Baskin-Robbins 31 flavors, Bob's Big Boy, Budweiser Bud man, Budweiser, Budweiser Clydesdale horses, Budweiser Malt man, Burger King Kurger Bing, Butterfingers, Campbell kids, Captain Crunch, Carlsberg Elephant Beer, Charlie Tuna, Coco, Colt 45 Malt Liquor, Cookie-Crisp Wizard character watches.

For part two of Vintage Advertising Food Related (D - N) Character Watches, click here.  

For part Three of Vintage Advertising Food Related (O - Z) Character Watches, click here.

Advertisers often used characters, mascots or trademarks to help sell their products. Red Goose and Buster Brown shoes are just two of the oldest examples, but it really took off with radio and television advertising, especially effective when advertising to children. One of the oldest advertising food related character watches that I know of is Mr. Peanut, the advertising logo and mascot of Planters Peanuts.  

Advertising Character watches mostly took off in the 70's & 80's as shown below in alpha order. 

Here you have a 1970's A & W Root Beer Bear Rooty by H.M.W. one jewel Swiss movement. Rooty, the Great Root beer Bear is shown wearing his A & W orange sweater and hat and a big smile all on a white dial with no numbers on the dial and regular gold hands including a gold second hand to tell the time. You don't see this great watch too often.

1970s possibly a little earlier, Gruen produced this 17 jewel Baskin-Robbins 31 flavor watch. Every hour is 31 flavors with this great watch marked "We make people happy" on a silver background with 12 pink 31's for each hour, pink marks for the minutes, gold hands and even a dedicated small SUB second hand. I have another one most likely slightly newer NOT marked Gruen like this one but internally marked Pilex Co. made in Hong Kong and with a regular second hand. You don't see this one too often either way.

Here is a 1970s Bob's Big Boy by Youmard Time Company marked internally Bleno Time one jewel Swiss movement showing "The Original" Big Boy skipping in his red and white checkered overalls smiling with his iconic curl in his thick brown hair on a white background with white numbers outlined in black for the 3,6,9, &12 and blue circles to indicate the other numbers along with his arms to tell the time. This came in simple clear plastic boxes with red, white, and blue bands.

Here is a 1970's Bud man Budweiser beer watch by Helbros, 7 jewel Swiss movement (character created by D'Arcy, the Budweiser brand agency at the time).  Grinning Bud man is wearing his blue boots and blue cape, bright red tights with his name on them, matching red hood and his blue gloved hands to tell the time on a white background with black numbers and black minute marks. Marked Helbros Swiss. There is another version see below. 

  Here is the other version 1970's Bud man Budweiser beer watch by Helbros, 7 jewel Swiss movement (character created by D'Arcy, the Budweiser brand agency at the time).  Same Grinning Bud man as above but this version has a second hand and is not marked Helbros on the dial, its marked Helbros 7 jewels internally only.

 

In the early 1970's, Jay Ward produced this Budweiser 17 jewel fully painted watch for Budweiser with this Hamilton (Buren) movement. It has the Budweiser logo on red with white stars for the numbers. Marked Budweiser Lager Beer Anheuser Busch Inc. and marked A Jay Ward 17 Jewel Watch at the bottom. You can see all the amazing Jay Ward character watches here. 

Here is a super cool Budweiser Clydesdale Horse watch by an unknown maker. This Swiss made 17 jewel watch has the Budweiser emblem at the top and as the seconds tick off the Budweiser wagon rotates around the dial pulled by four Clydesdale horses on a white dial with no numbers and silver hands to tell the time. What a great find.

Here is a 1970's Budweiser Malt man watch by Helbros, 7 jewel Swiss movement.  Grinning Malt man is wearing his yellow boots and yellow cape, black tights with his name on them, matching black hood,  his yellow gloved hands & a silver second hand to tell the time on a white background with black numbers and black minute marks. Marked Budweiser in hard to see red on the dial. Internally marked Helbros Swiss 7 jewels unadjusted.  This beautiful example is harder to find especially compared to Bud man which shows up more often.

Here is a great 1970's Kurger Bing, the 1960-70s Burger King mascot. Smiling Kurger Bing with out-stretched welcoming arms is wearing his royal red velvet and white lined fur jacket over his gold outfit with big black belt & gold buckle along with his gold crown on a white background with black numbers, black inner minute marks, black hands and a red second hand to tell the time. A nice 17 jewel Swiss made seldom seen watch, probably for the executives. 

Here is a smaller 1970's Kurger Bing, the 1960-70s Burger King mascot. Smiling Kurger Bing with out-stretched welcoming arms is wearing his royal red velvet and white fur lined jacket over his gold outfit  with his gold crown on a white background with black numbers, black inner minute marks and black hands to tell the time. A nice Caravelle watch seldom seen probably for the executives.  

 

Here we have a 2010 Butterfingers plastic manual wind pocket watch with orange stretchy cord and orange clip. This amazing and unusual plastic watch is just marked Butterfinger on a bright orange background with blue numbers for 3,6,9, & 12, blue marks for the other numbers and blue hands including a second hand. Marked Hong Kong at the bottom. I never see these but they must be out there.

Here we have a 1980's Campbell boy Kid by Criterion Time, Swiss movement with the boy in blue jeans, yellow shirt, and shoes on a white background with black numbers and black hands and a red second hand to tell the time.

Here is the Campbell girl Kid by Criterion Time, Swiss movement with the rosy cheeked girl kid with bows and curls in her hair, dressed in a orange sweater and yellow dress with black shoes carrying her orange lunch bag on a white background with black numbers and hands and a red second hand to tell the time.

The same image is on the side of the case sleeve.

In the 1970's, Bradley produced this Captain Crunch marked Swiss Made. This dome shaped (bubble) crystal with original MOD band has the Captain in full uniform standing with his iconic hat, tails, and boots on a white background with black numbers and his arms to tell the time including a detailed sword. One of my best finds. You don't see these too often, they were an employee only buy, never sold directly to the public.

Here is a nicely made 1970s Carlsberg Elephant Beer watch. The beautiful hand-painted blue elephant is detailed with black ears, black tail, bright white tusks and even toe nails, looking up centered on the top of this gold tone watch on a silver background with black numbers and gold hands, including a gold second hand to tell the time. Marked with the Carlsberg logo in red and 17 jewels at the bottom, internally marked Coro Inc. France ST 407. What a great find. 

Charlie Tuna 1971 Star-Kist Foods Inc., by Claro Watch Co, one jewel Swiss movement with a Hong Kong made dial & back marked Star-Kist food Inc. Here is Charlie, the best dressed tuna with his hat and glasses next to a hook with a note saying "Sorry Charlie" on a silver background with blue numbers along with white luminous dots at each number, black minute marks and gold luminous hands, including a gold second hand to tell the time.

Charlie Tuna 1973 Star-Kist Foods Inc. along with an unknown maker produced this Charlie Tuna wearing his yellow cap with his name on it and his black glasses. This lighter blue, smiling Charlie is next to the same old hook with a note saying "Sorry Charlie" all on a white background with some ocean spray and with light blue numbers, light blue minute marks and silver hands including a second hand to tell the time. This one has a date window but it also came without a date.  Marked 1973 Star-Kist Foods, Inc.

  Another Charlie Tuna, this time 1977 Star-Kist Foods Inc. along with an unknown maker produced this Charlie Tuna wearing his yellow cap with his name on it and his black glasses. This NON calendar darker blue version has smiling Charlie next to the same old hook with a note saying "Sorry Charlie" all on a white background blue numbers, blue minute marks and silver hands including a second hand to tell the time. Marked 1977 Star-Kist Foods, Inc.

In the 1980’s, this Kellogg's Coco mascot for Coco Puffs was produced for the UK market, marked Swiss made.  Coco is sitting with a half-smile on a white background with black numbers, black minute marks and with his hands to tell the time. You don't see this one too often.

 Here is a late '60s Colt 45 Malt Liquor watch by Vantage. This is a high quality 25 jewel automatic watch made for the National Brewing Company with a sweep second hand and is marked Malt Liquor on the right side in red (hard to read here). 

here is a 1977 Cookie-Crisp Wizard Jarvis by Continental LeJour for the breakfast cereal. Jarvis, the first Cookie-Crisp mascot is standing in a blue robe with red boots and his red wizard hat with cookies on it. He is holding his cookie magic wand ready to turn anything into Cookie-Crisp on a white background with black numbers, black minute marks and black hands including a second hand to tell the time. These don't come up too often on the secondary market.

              These came in these very simple plain orange boxes.

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.