Collecting Disney
O
INGERSOLL WATCHES
ne of the most iconic items to debut at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair was the Ingersoll Mickey Mouse Watch. This highly-desirable product, both of the time and of today, exists as a testament to the success of Kay Kamen’s licensing agreements for Mickey Mouse products. Kamen licensed the Ingersoll-Waterbury Company to begin producing watches in 1933. The watches were an immediate success, with over 900,000 watches sold in the first year, and 2.5 million total watches sold between 1933 and 1935. The very first Mickey watches came in a box with an incorrect “off-model” design of Mickey on the lidthat was only approved in order to have the watches manufactured in time for the World’s Fair. Unlike the design on the box, the watches themselves were a high-quality casing with wire lugs to attach the metal or leather bands. The numbers “5” and “7” appeared above Mickey’s knees. The case itself came in an Art Deco design, only used for the World’s Fair. The box was quickly redesigned after the fair, for Fall of 1933 and the watch itself went through minor design changes by 1934. The increasing popularity of these watches showed the public commitment to Mickey as a brand, and hinted towards potential success in other unconventional markets moving forward.
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73. First Ingersoll Mickey Mouse Watch. (Ingersoll, 1933) Extremely rare first version of the Ingersoll Mickey Mouse watch released at the 1933 World’s Fair. Watch comes with its original box. The watch is intact with all of its original parts except for a replaced crystal. It works sporadically, but seems to be a serviceable piece. Watch measures 8” long. Clam-shell style box measures 2.5”x4.5”x1”. $1,500-$2,500
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