THE FIRST MICKEY MOUSE WATCH WAS RELEASED IN 1933
2021 Gérald Genta Mickey Mouse limited edition and a 1930s Mickey Mouse drawing
Mickey Mouse is probably the most recognizable cartoon character in the world, and certainly the most recognizable Disney character. This might be for his age, as Mickey has been around since 1928 and part of every generation’s childhood since. Disney, or Mickey Mouse watches, share a similar story and even impact, having existed for almost an equal amount of time.
The first Disney watch was a Mickey Mouse watch released in 1933, presumably at the Chicago Exposition ‘Century of Progress’ and available both as a wristwatch and a pocket watch. Mickey was displayed in the center of the dial, with his hands as the hour and minute hands and 3 other Mickeys in the sub dial at 3 o’clock. The origin of the watches goes back to Kay Kamen, a salesman who got exclusive rights from Disney for their merchandise and decided his first product would be a watch. Kamen turned to a company called Ingersoll (Ingersoll-Waterbury at the time), who was famous for producing $1 watches since the late 19th century. The first Disney Watches sold for only $3.25 and were an instant hit! Eventually Minne and even Goofy started to appear on the dials.
Vintage Ingersoll Mickey Mouse watch
Now Ingersoll-Timex, the company stopped making Disney watches in 1971 and was taken over by Elgin’s Bradley Watchmakers division. Lorus took over making Disney watches in 1987 and today a number of brands, including Fossil and Seiko, produce them. In the 1980s, the famous Gerald Genta obtained a license from Disney to make 18k gold watches with Mickey Mouse characters on them. This is what led to his famous ‘Fantasy’ collection; known for its contrast of elegant, highly refined mechanical movements and playful cartoon characters on the dial. Overall, the watches were iconic, with figures like Andy Warhol, John Lennon, and Grace Kelly wearing them and Walt Disney apparently receiving the 25 millionth watch produced in 1957. Mickey Mouse watches were also reportedly worn by astronauts on Apollo 7 and Apollo 10 in the 1960s, giving them the trifecta of: going to space, being worn by celebrities, and being almost 100 years old.
By: Eric Mulder