The original Mickey Mouse watch was manufactured by Ingersoll in
1933 and sold for $3.25 (later lowered to $2.95). They also made a
pocket watch at the same time, selling for $1.50. The original
wristwatch had a round dial and featured three tiny Mickeys on a
disc that indicated the seconds. These early watches have become
some of the most sought-after types of Disneyana collectibles. The
Mickey Mouse watch has been made continuously since 1933, though
there was a period in the 1960s when only the words "Mickey Mouse"
appeared on the dial.
Ingersoll became U.S. Time, which became Timex. One of the more
interesting watches was a backwards Goofy watch. The numbers were
placed in backwards order and Goofy's hands moved backwards as
well. It took some effort to learn how to tell time backwards, but
the watches became popular collectibles after their 1972
manufacture by Helbros. They originally cost $19.95, and within two
decades were up to about $700 on the collectors' market. In their
recent program of reproducing some of the classic Disney watches,
The Disney Store selected the backwards Goofy watch as the first in
their series of reproductions. In 1972, Bradley, a division of
Elgin National Industries, Inc., took over the manufacture of
Disney watches, and in 1987 the contract went to Lorus. Today a
number of different companies make Disney watches.
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