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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