This video is about the history of character watches, staring with the first Mickey Mouse watch. This is also about my personal character watch collection staring Mickey, SpongeBob, Popeye and Snoopy.
In 1933, during the Great Depression, an down-on-his-luck salesman, a bankrupt watch company, and a struggling Hollywood studio teamed up with an animated mouse to create the very first Mickey Mouse watch. What started as desperation meeting opportunity turned into a global phenomenon, and shaped the future of watch collecting.
In this video, I dive into the history of the very first character watch, and how these watches evolved from novelty items for kids into serious collectibles worn by adults. Along the way, I’ll share pieces from my own mini-collection, including Citizen, Spinnaker, Avi-8, and Swatch, and why one of these whimsical watches means more to me than expected.
Stay to the end for the easter egg.
Note: Videos, photos, and archival footage used in this episode are in the U.S. Public Domain.
Timestamps
00:00:00 Intro
00:00:47 The Story of the 1st Character Watch
00:01:47 Kay Kamen & the Disney Brothers
00:07:23 Kamen & Ingersoll-Waterbury
00:08:59 1933 Worlds Fair Mickey Watch Debut
00:09:53 Ingersoll-Waterbury Becomes Timex
00:11:58 Characters Watches Take Off in the 1950s
00:13:01 Disney Decline Causes Character Watch Quality Decline
00:14:04 Citizen, Star Wars, Marvel, & Disney
00:14:35 What Started My Character Watch Collection
00:14:56 Citizen Tsuyosa Mickey and Minnie Watches
00:15:35 Spinnaker & SpongeBob SquarePants
00:17:36 Spinnaker x Popeye
00:18:21 Kolobak Inspired SpongeBob from Spinnaker
00:19:38 AVI-8 x Snoopy P-51 Mustang Watch
00:20:28 Omega x Swatch Snoopy Mission to Earthphase Moonshine Gold
00:22:05 Why I Like Character Watches
00:23:36 People Have Strong Reactions to Character Watches
00:24:23 Gerald Genta, Keith Haring, and Damian Hirst Mickey Watches
00:24:59 Wrap Up
00:25:35 Easter Egg
Welcome to The Watchmosphere. I was seeing too much normalizing of spending thousands of dollars on watches, and also punching down on consumer brands and budget collectors, but I believe all roads lead to a watch collection. Whether you collect is $10 or $100,000 watches, there is room for everyone in the Watchmosphere!
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