Vintage Jump Hour Character Watches

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

Vintage Jump Hour Character Watches

Vintage Cat in the hat, Ford Mustang II, Funny Face, Jack & Jill, Johnny Horizon, Mickey Mouse, Moppet, Mr. Peanut, Punchy, Raggedy Ann, Skippy, Winnie the Pooh character watches.

Jump hour watches, sometimes known as "direct read" or "digital time display" have been around for years. Josef Pallweber filed the first patent for a jump hour movement on a pocket watch in 1883.  The first wristwatches appeared after world war I during the art deco period (1920s & 1930s) where the tank style was very popular and continues to be even today. 

In the 1970's a revival began when electronic watches started selling. Electronics started out far more expensive than mechanical so why not make a mechanical that had the same look as the new digital. Thankfully for us some character watches got caught up in this revival and are still considered treasured additions to any collection. 

 

In alphabetical order:

Cat in the Hat jump hour by the LaFayette Watch Co. has the Cat wearing his stripped red and white hat, red bow tie and a big grin on a beautiful blue background pointing his white gloved hand to the time display. Marked 1974 Dr. Seuss, Swiss made.

They came in these amazing colorful boxes with plastic tops like this super rare mint one.

    This cool Ford Mustang jump hour has a Bradley case, one jewel unadjusted movement by Trice Watch Inc. has the Ford Logo for the second generation Mustang on a beautiful blue background with the direct read numbers on the left and in white on blue all in a polished chrome case.

 

1970's Funny Face watch sold at Sears department stores has this wonderful yellow face look on this amazing jump hour watch with eye balls that move around as the watch moves, a big orange nose and the direct read time within the red mouth. This one includes its original 1970's mod band for this hard to find beauty.

1970s E. Gluck Trading Company marked Tell Time produced this Jack and Jill jump hour watch with simple graphics of Jack and Jill carrying their pail on a white background with the time display to the far left, the hours are white numbers on red background while the minutes are white numbers with black background. Marked Swiss made.

1976 Lafayette produced this Johnny Horizon jump hour watch for the U.S. land management bureau to fight littering and clean up our national parks. Here is smiling Johnny's head wearing his hat in blue with "digital" hours and minute numbers to the left of him all on a light gold background. Marked Johnny Horizon '76 in red and  Lafayette Watch Co. Swiss made 1976 U.S. Dept. of the interior. This amazing jump hour watch is hard to find today. 

Mickey Mouse by Bradley Time produced this great smiling Mickey with his hand pointing towards the digital time display all on a white background. Marked Mickey Mouse, Bradley, Digital, Swiss, Walt Disney Productions.

.

1978 Mickey Mouse by Bradley Time produced this great smiling Mickey with the same exact Mickey pose as the previous jump hour with his hand pointing towards the digital time display all on a white background. Marked Mickey Mouse, Bradley, Digital, Swiss, Walt Disney Productions. These beautiful gems came in both gold and silver tone.

These came in these nicely made felt lined boxes.

 In the 1970's, Custom Time Corp. produced this Mr. Peanut "jump hour” watch with a one jewel movement, Swiss made and rarer today then the regular watch.  Very nicely painted face with a deep soothing blue background and always smartly dressed Mr. Peanut posing next to the time display. Who wouldn't want one of these!

Here is Moppet "jump hour" watch by E. Gluck Trading Company. Moppet goes with Skippy below similar to Raggedy Ann and Andy. Red headed smiling Moppet looks like she's dancing in her usual blue and white summer dress with white pantaloons, red socks and black shoes all while she's holding a huge flower on a white background with the time display to the far left, the hours are white numbers on red background while the minutes are white numbers with black background. Marked Swiss made.

 

In the 1970s, Macky Watch Co and Sonlenn Trading company produced this Punchy Hawaiian  "jump hour" watch with a Swiss movement & typical large 70's MOD band. Punchy has a big grin wearing his blue and white stripped shirt and holding his Hawaiian punch drink on a white background. Very hard to find today especially working, you'll need to have your expert watch repair person to attend to these.

 

Here is Raggedy Ann by CustomTime from the 1970s,  This jump hour Raggedy Ann is more doll like then other versions dressed in a white apron, blue shirt, black shoes and her bright red hair on a white background pointing to the left where the direct read dial is in black with white numbers. You don't see this one very much, marked Digital, Swiss made.

Here is Skippy "jump hour" watch by E. Gluck Trading Company. Skippy goes with Moppet above similar to Raggedy Ann and Andy. Skippy sits happily next to the time display in his blue and red sailor suit with a black tie, white and blue hat, striped socks and black shoes on a white background with a sailing boat drawn behind him and the time display to the far left, the hours are white numbers on red background while the minutes are white numbers with black background. Marked Swiss made.

 In the 70's, Bradley produced this Winnie the Pooh digital "jump hour" watch with smiling Winnie the Pooh in his standard red shirt and a honey pot on a white background with black numbers to tell the time. Marked Bradley, Winnie the Pooh, digital, Swiss made Walt Disney Productions. Super rare today.

For more Information on Watches and Cartoon Art see:

The National Watch and Clock Museum:  https://nawcc.org/index.php/museum

The West Coast Clock & watch museum is located at the Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum http://www.agsem.org

 

The Cartoon Art Museum https://www.cartoonart.org/
 

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.

 

Vintage Advertising Food Related (K - Q) Character Watches

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

Vintage Advertising Food Related (K - Q) Character Watches

Vintage Keebler Elf, KIX cereal, Kool-Aid, Life Savers, Major Moon, Mr. Peanut, Nestle Cookie, Oster Appliance man, Pappy Parker, Peter Pan Peanut Butter, Popsicle/Fudgesicle, Punchy, Quiky Nesquik Bunny character watches.

For part one of Vintage Advertising Food Related (A - B) Character Watches, click here

For part two of  Vintage Advertising Food Related (C) Character Watches, click here

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

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

 

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

In the 1980's, Custom Time produced this Keebler Elf watch with a Swiss movement. Here you have Ernie the Keebler Elf dressed for work in his orange and yellow hat, green jacket and yellow pants and shoes on a white background and black numbers, black minute marks, black hands and a black second hand to tell the time. It came with a large 70's MOD style wrist band. These came in plain boxes.   

Here is a KIX cereal watch made by Lafayette Watch Company that was a give away back in the 1970s to promote soccer. A red and white soccer ball on a white background with black numbers, black hands and a red second hand to tell the time. Marked Made in Hong Kong.

 In the 1970's, Sindaco LTD produced this Kool-Aid watch with a Swiss movement. Here you have the pitcher filled Kool-Aid man running with a huge smile practically shouting, "OH YEAH!" on a white background with black numbers, black minute marks, black hands and a black second hand to tell the time. He came in a plan box with a large MOD band. Hard to find today.

In 1992, Market USA produced this Life Savers 80th anniversary watch. A manual wind but in a plastic case. I've never seen another one, but they must be out there. It has a picture of Life Savers at the 3,6,9,& 12 positions and says "80 delicious years" on a white background with black numbers and black hands to tell the time.

  In the 1970's we have this Major Moon for Moonstone Cereal watch for Ralston Cereals with a Swiss movement. This rarely known cereal character is dressed in his usual Major uniform with hat and came in a plain box with see through plastic and a large 70's MOD wrist band. The Major is on a white background holding his name with black numbers, black minute marks, black hands including a black second hand to tell the time.

From the late 60's, earlier 70's by Agon Chromatic Watch Corp. we have this slightly different (from Page one example) Mr. Peanut with a one jewel Swiss movement. Basically, same as the older version with slightly different case, a huge 70's modern "MOD" wrist band. Smiling Mr. Peanut is the best nut around on a yellow background with black numbers, his gloved hands and a black second hand to tell the time along with a date window to tell the month date. Capital also put out a NON date watch as shown below in the box.

These came in nice simple presentation boxes. This is the one made by Capital, non date.

In the 1970's, Custom Time Corp. produced this Mr. Peanut "jump hour” watch with a one jewel movement, Swiss made and rarer today then the regular watch.  Very nicely painted face with a deep soothing blue background and smartly dressed Mr. Peanut posing next to the time display. Who wouldn't want one of these!

 

In the 1970's, Nice Creation Co. produced this Mr. Peanut watch for the Japanese market with Mr. Peanut in his classic pose with hand on hip and legs crossed leaning on his cane wearing his usual black hat all on a red background with black numbers, silver hands including a second hand to tell the time. Marked Planters Peanuts, Nice Creation Co. internally marked PS Time LTD, one jewel unadjusted, Swiss made assembled in Hong Kong for this hard to find beauty. 

Again, in the 1970's, Lafayette Watch Co. produced this Nestle Cookie Mix watch, Swiss made with just a picture of a cookie on the face on a white background, with brown numbers and brown hands to tell the time. It's always time for cookies at my home.

Here is a 1970's Oster Appliance man. This 17 jewel American Standard movement has the blond Oster repair man flying with tools in hand wearing his super blue tights & boots with a yellow belt and "Oster Man" written across his chest on a white sky background with some night sky showing with white and blue minute marks and gold hands including a gold second hand to tell the time.

In the late 70's or early 80's, Basis Watch produced this Pappy Parker's restaurant watch, one jewel Swiss made with the prospector on it which was used to advertise by their owner the Roy Rogers Franchise Company, LLC. Pappy's face and large hat sit on a bright yellow background with black numbers, red minute marks and black hands to tell the time.

Here we have an awesome Peter Pan Peanut Butter "magic" watch from the 1970s. Peter Pan Peanut Butter was the first branded peanut butter in the U.S. The magic is it fades to black and then back to showing Peter Pan every 30 seconds. Although hard to photograph, you can clearly see a freckled faced smiling red haired Peter Pan wearing his green felt hat with a big yellow feather and his green shirt with white hands and an orange second hand to tell the time. Made in Hong Kong by Remex, one jewel.

This rare find from the 1970s was produced by Argon Chromatic Watch Corp. for Popsicle, a Good Humor-Breyers brand which makes Popsicles and Fugesicles. It has white numbers on a bright red circle with a bright yellow smaller circle in the middle. The minute hand is a red and orange two stick Popsicle while the hour hand is a smaller Fudgesicle and came with a date calendar window. Marked Swiss made, PI. What a great find!

In the 1970's, Saxony Watch Company produced this Punchy Hawaiian one jewel Swiss made movement NO second hand on this one, but some have them with grinning Punchy holding his Hawaiian punch can, wearing his red hat and blue and white striped shirt and his arms to tell the time all on a white background with black numbers and black minute marks.

 Also in the 1970's this second version was produced for Punchy Hawaiian, again with a Swiss movement, this time marked Hong Kong dial on the front. More Cartoonish numbers then previous version and bright yellow background, this time with a smiling Punchy, arms reaching out and NOT moving, just regular silver watch hands and a red second hand to tell the time.

 Also in the 1970s, Macky Watch Co and Sonlenn Trading company produced this Punchy Hawaiian  "jump hour" watch with a Swiss movement & typical large 70's MOD band. This time Punchy is grinning again and holding his drink on a white background. Very hard to find today especially working, you'll need to have your expert watch repair person to attend to these.

1970's Quiky the Nesquick bunny for Nestle. This amazing watch has Smiling Quiky clearly happy and full of chocolate flavored milk with his tongue sticking out a little on a white back ground with black numbers, black minute marks, a black second hand and his brown arms to tell the time. Marked Swiss made, internally marked 21 jewel Claro Watch, case marked Sindaco LTD. A super rare find today.

For more Information on Watches and Cartoon Art see:

The National Watch and Clock Museum:  https://nawcc.org/index.php/museum

The West Coast Clock & watch museum is located at the Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum http://www.agsem.org

 

The Cartoon Art Museum https://www.cartoonart.org/
 

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.