Friday, September 29, 2023

Vintage Space & Science Fiction 1975-1994 Character Watches


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

  Vintage BattleStar Galatica, the Black Hole, Buzz Aldrin, Darth Vader, ET, Ewoks, Flash Gordon, Jabba the Hut, Marvin the Martian, Mork from Ork, R2D2 & C3PO, Space Shuttle, Mr. Spock, Star Trek, Yoda character watches.

To see Space & Science Fiction watches prior to 1975, click here

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.

Here you have Darth Vader holding his light saber on a grey background with numbers at 3, 6, 9, & 12 positions, white dots for the others, black minute marks and white hands to tell the time including a red second hand.

Here are R2D2 & C3PO standing on Tatooine with a blue sky background, white numbers, white minute marks and white hands along with a red second hand to tell the time.

 
There was also a special GOLD edition of the R2D2 & C3PO watch with essentially the same picture but in a nice gold tone case in a black box that is hard to find today.

 In 1978, Bradley with Paramount Pictures produced the Mork from Ork watch for the television show which came with the standard Bradley Swiss movement. Mork is shown in his red flight suit doing the Vulcan hand gesture on a yellow circle with a larger blue circle for the white numbers. Marked Mork and his greeting "Na no, Na no" at the top and 1979 Paramount Pictures Corp. Swiss movement Hong Kong dial at the bottom.  

 In 1979, Bradley created this Flash Gordon watch for Kings Features Syndicate showing Flash firing his ray gun with a futuristic city in the background with black numbers and black minute marks, black hands and a red second hand to tell the time. Marked Bradley at the top and 1979 United Syndicate Features Inc. at the bottom. 

                        Flash Gordon came in the standard Bradley plastic box with warranty.
 

 In 1979, Bradley produced this Star Trek watch for Paramount Pictures Corporation at the same time of the release of the movie. Bradley used the exact same case, outer dial, hands & band they were using for their Black Hole watch also produced at the same time for Disney. This time the inner dial depicts the U.S.S. Enterprise perched in front of the mysterious and immensely powerful alien cloud known as V'Ger. Marked Swiss made, it has black numbers on a silver outer dial and white hands including a white second hand to tell the time.


also in 1979, Bradley produced this Swiss made Mr. Spock watch based on the Star Trek character. Spoke is shown in a grey suit centered against a blue background. It has white digital font style numbers with marks for the minutes along with white hands to tell the time. This version has the two rotating shuttle and Enterprise for the second hand. I've seen a version without also. Marked Bradley at the top and Swiss made Paramount Pictures Corp. at the bottom.

Here we have a 1979 "The Black Hole" by Bradley, who used the same exact case, outer dial, hands & band they were using for their Star Trek watch also produced at the same time for Paramount Pictures Corporation. This watch was released at the same time as Walt Disney Productions release of their Science Fiction movie, it depicts the U.S.S. Palomino docked with the U.S.S. Cygnus perched precariously at the edge of a black hole. Marked Swiss Made with black numbers on a silver background and white hands, including a white second hand to tell the time. Hard to find today.

In 1979, Bradley produced this BattleStar Galatica watch for their television series (of the same name) which came with the standard Swiss movement. It shows Vipors fighting a Cylone fighter and has a Vipor on the end of the second hand that rotates with white numbers and white hands to tell the time. Marked Bradley at the top and Swiss made 1979 Universal City Studios, Inc. all rights reserved at the bottom.

 In 1980 Bradley, for Lucas Film LTD produced the Yoda watch for the Empire Strikes Back movie, Marked Star Wars, it came with the standard Swiss movement. These came in plastic sleeves or the standard Bradley plastic square box. Here is elderly Yoda on a gray background with black numbers, black minute marks, black hands and a red second hand to tell the time. Marked Bradley at the top, Lucas Film LTD 1980 at the bottom.

1982 Darth Vader by Bradley for Lucas Film Ltd is essentially the same watch made in 1977 with Darth Vader holding his light saber but this time he has blue metallic highlights and is on a white background with black numbers at 3, 6, 9, & 12 positions, black dots for the others, black minute marks and red hands including a red second hand to tell the time. Marked TM Lucas Film Ltd. (LFL) 1982. This is more scarce then the 1977 version.

In 1982, Nelsonic produced the E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial watch for Universal Studios to coincide with the release of the movie. A simple watch has E.T. smiling on a white background with black numbers, black hands including a second hand to tell the time. Marked Nelsonic at the top and 1982 Universal City Studios, Inc. All rights reserved at the bottom.

 

This came in a box with the iconic photo of Elliott on his bike with ET in the basket and a shot of the full moon in the background.

 
In 1982/83 Bradley, for Lucas Film LTD produced several more Star Wars watches this time for the Return of the Jedi movie. The Ewoks marked Star Wars, Return of the Jedi with black numbers, black hands and a black second hand to tell the time. Marked Bradley at the top and Lucas Film LTD (FLF) 1983 at the bottom. 


Here is Jabba the Hut marked Star Wars, Return of the Jedi. Jabba is lazily sitting on a white background with black numbers, black minute marks, black hands including a second hand to tell the time. Marked Bradley at the top and Lucas Film LTD (FLF) 1983 at the bottom.

Here you have R2D2 & C3PO this time with a black space background with white numbers, white minute marks and white hands to tell the time including a white second hand.  Marked Bradley at the top and Lucas Film LTD (FLF) 1982 at the bottom.

Here is a 1980s Space Shuttle watch by Time Watch Company LTD with a detailed depiction of the USA shuttle displayed including the two solid rocket boosters and the large expendable external tank as if its in the middle of taking off all on a silver dial with black minute marks and with gold indicator marks at each five position and gold hands and a smaller shuttle circling the dial to tick off the seconds. Marked Hong Kong.

 In 1993, Overseas produced this Marvin the Martian watch for Warner Brothers. This has a large bubble crystal (extra hard to photograph) and has Marvin with his gun in one hand to tell the hour and the other hand for the minute, dial is marked 1948.

 This is a quartz watch and came in a nice tin with a decorative sleeve.

 In 1994 we have this limited edition 25th anniversary watch of the first man on the moon with Buzz Aldrin. 

This is a quartz watch with a Japanese movement. The gold dial is 38mm and contains metal from the Spacecraft Columbia & Eagle that landed the first man on the Moon and comes in a fancy commemorative case and 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/
 

Any thoughts can be emailed to characterwatchtime@gmail.com

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


 

























































































































 

Vintage Jump Hour Character Watches

It's always time for character watches...Watches with Character.     Vintage Cat in the hat, Ford Mustang II, Funny Face, Johnny Horiz...