The Man Who Owns 8,500 Mickey Mouse Watches
This story is from About Time, Esquire’s free weekly newsletter devoted to the world of watches. Sign up here
Watches with cartoons on their dials, so-called “character watches”, have become bankers for wristwear companies these last few years.
Audemars Piguet teamed up with Marvel for watches including the Royal Oak Concept “Spider-Man” Flying Tourbillon. Seiko released a Sonic the Hedgehog chronograph. Unimatic bought out a pair of dive watches featuring SpongeBob Squarepants.
Our friend George Bamford has options for fans of Popeye, the Cookie Monster, Big Bird and Snoopy – especially Snoopy.
But one man who makes all the above look utterly two-dimensional is the collector Kerry Lewis. As anyone who follows him @vintagecharactertime will know, Lewis owns a lot of character watches.
Really, a lot.
He started collecting while he was in the US Army Corps, over 50 years ago.
Now he shares his home in the northwestern corner of Missouri ("Closest town has a population of 290") with more than 10,000 character watches, spanning over 100 years.
The majority of them feature Mickey Mouse on their dials.
Mickey has a long and fruitful relationship with horology.
Back in 1933, two companies faced bankruptcy. One was Ingersoll-Waterbury, a watch brand that grew out of a New York Mail business and would become Timex. The other was Disney. A marketeer and former mink-hat salesman named Herman “Kay” Kamen rescued both — despite apparently falling asleep in the pitch meeting. His solution? A watch featuring Mickey Mouse, his yellow-gloved hands rotating to tell the time. Response to the $3.75 timepiece was immediate. Macy’s sold 11,000 the first day it went on sale, and within two years Ingersoll had added 2,800 staff to cope with demand. An original Ingersoll Mickey was placed into a time capsule at the 1939 World’s Fair, while other character watches followed in its wake.
By the end of the 1950s, character watches were on the wane. But they became a stylistic symbol of rebellion the following decade, when they were adopted by the counterculture.
Gérald Genta, the celebrated designer who came up with the Royal Oak and Patek Philippe’s Nautilus, to name two, luxed-up Disney-approved watches in the 1980s and 1990s with his Retro Fantasy Series, a collection of playful designs with haute horology complications like jumping hours and minute repeaters. (The Genta brand relaunched last year under the luxury conglomerate LVMH. Its first two models were a “Golfing Donald” and a “Birthday Mickey”.)
Indeed, Mickey’s popularity on the wrist has never gone away.
Brands including Swatch, Citizen and Fossil have made entry-level Mickey Mouse watches. Omega has created a Mickey watch exclusively for Disney employees. And custom watchmakers have meant that even Rolex has joined the Mickey Mouse club.
Kerry Lewis has experience of them all.
We recently spoke to him about his six decades of collecting.
Esquire: First things first. Is the figure of 10,000-plus character watches accurate?
Kerry Lewis: That’s about right. I call it The Hoard. And it’s growing. Here’s an example: the other day I walked out my front door and hanging on my front gate is a plastic bag full of mysterious watches. There were 25 all told, just hanging on my fence. So, I never know the exact number of my collection.
Someone left them for you, because they know you’re “the character watches guy”?
That’s what happened. Somebody went through grandpa’s drawers or whatever, and just dropped them off on the front fence – no note, no nothing. Just: “there you go”.
Anything good?
There was a couple of Seiko automatics from the late 1970s, just your typical mid-line. No real treasures. But it was a good bunch of working timepieces for somebody to appreciate. And I guess I do, because they’re in my possession now.
How did all this start?
Well, it’s kind of a weird story. Back in the early 1960s, it was a big thing to wear a Mickey Mouse watch in the United States – to protest the Vietnam War. I bought a Mickey Mouse watch at the Salvation Army for, like, $1. I was wearing it when I was enlisted into the United States Marine Corps. I wore that watch to boot camp. It became pretty strange attire, because to wear a Mickey Mouse watch in the military was not really a suitable thing, it was more of a joke. Then everybody around me, all my peers, would find other character watches in pawn stores or junk drawers or whatever and they started gifting them to me. Even while I was still in the military, I’d amassed about 150 different character pieces. And after I got out of the military, that’s when The Hoard really started.
Can you explain the idea of wearing a Mickey Mouse watch as a protest? Presumably because they weren’t seen as serious?
Right. That was what the type of protest was back then. [A lost 1968 one-minute cartoon Mickey Mouse in Vietnam, made by the artist Lee Savage, and the graphic designer Milton Glaser, best known for creating the I ♥ NY logo, featuring Mickey arriving in Vietnam and being shot in the head, resurfaced recently. It’s said to have angered The Walt Disney Company so much they attempted to destroy every copy.]
It's a cool idea.
It was a common thing for what they would call “the hippies”. I can’t really classify myself as that age group. There were several celebrities who would wear Mickey Mouse watches in protest, Andy Warhol was one [Sammy Davis Jr, John Lennon and talk show host Johnny Carson were others. Astronauts Willy Schirra and Gene Cernan wore them in space, too.]
You understand the mechanics of watches too, right? You fix them up?
One of my roommates during service was from down in Florida. His family were watchmakers and jewellers and so I learned the trade from him. When we were playing with all this junk stuff that everybody was giving me back in those days.
And of all your 10,000 character watches, how many are Mickey Mouse?
I would say maybe 80 per cent, 85 per cent would be the Mouse. Also, other Disney characters. Because Donald [Duck] had a pretty big following, as well.
How did the licensing work? Did it all come through Disney?
Well, there a few bootleg Disneys out there. But Disney Corp was a big stickler about going worldwide and shutting down pieces that were being made as bootlegs. Especially in the Asian countries in the late 1960s.
Your protest watch was official merch?
Yes. Timex started out as Ingersoll watches. And Ingersoll had the exclusive contract from 1933 to 1971 – those were the official pieces. Anything made by Ingersoll, US Time, Kelton – any of the Time [associated] brands.
How were Mickey Mouse watches originally marketed?
In 1933, when they first came out, they were profiled to children. And this was during the Great American Depression. And parents just came out in droves and bought them for their children. There was, like, millions of these watches sold within the first couple of years. And it was all to children.
They were a runaway success from the off?
That’s right. It saved the company [Ingersoll] during the Great Depression. [In the first two years alone, more than 2.5 million were sold. In 1957, the 25 millionth watch was presented to Walt Disney himself, who never thought the idea would work].
Are you a fan of cartoons and comic books generally?
Oh yeah. I’m an Equal Opportunity Idiot. I like a lot of stupid things.
How are you with storage space? What’s your house like?
Well, I live in a hobbit hut, an earth-contact home. So, I can regulate my humidity levels very well. I have an underground room that is approximately 30ft x 18ft that is all my curio cabinets, my shelving, different vaults for different pieces. And then I have outside storage buildings that are full of duplicates and other pieces.
What appeals about character watches?
I’m kind of a gruffy looking guy. I’m over 6’ 5” and I go 230 to 260 pounds – not obese, by no means. But whenever you wear a character watch, people usually have to say something about it. So, the appeal there is just to see people’s reaction. I know a lot of executives do the same thing. They have a $20,000 watch in an office meeting that has a character on it. That just shows that you’re independent and you really don’t care what people think, because you’re the boss.
I understand that the first character on a watch wasn’t Mickey Mouse. It was Ally Sloper.
Ally Sloper was one of your British guys who lived in an ally, and he was kind of a drunk. He was always pissed [the red-nosed loafer was often to be found “sloping” through alleys to avoid his creditors. He debuted in an 1867 issue of the satirical magazine Judy, a rival to the more famous Punch. He’s often cited as “the first comics character” and appeared across an assortment of merchandise.] They depicted him on an engraving on a pocket watch in 1883, I believe. You also had people advertising watches with Buster Brown [mischievous US character; debuted in 1902], too. So, there’s a lot of earlier pieces. But Mickey is recognised as the first character watch. The rest of them were novelties. The genre was actually born in May 1933.
What determines the value of one of your character watches?
The condition of it, having the packaging, all the paperwork – just like any other collectable. You take an Ingersoll Mickey Mouse Chicago World’s Fair Wristwatch – they were made to be sold at Chicago World’s Fair in 1933. That’s a distinctive model that has a solid lug design, Art Deco bezel and a metal bracelet, The box is a little different from the normal, and it has a sticker on it. One sold here [in the US], maybe a year-and-a-half ago, at auction for over $6,000 – so you have to go condition and packaging. That would be the biggest thing for a vintage collector.
Is having the box and papers etc, important to you?
Oh yes. That’s what makes it the package. For me, anyway.
So, Mickey was first. Did Donald follow?
Yeah. In 1934, they did an experimental proto-Donald. That was the only year they made them [initially] because they didn’t sell well. And the same thing with The Three Little Pigs. That was an experiment in 1934. They pretty much stayed with Mickeys until 1938 and in 1939 they started introducing the other characters on a regular basis.
Why has Donald never been as popular as Mickey?
Because he was a crass person, and the parents during that time were a little stricter than they are today. It’s like Betty Boop – they didn’t let their children go watch Betty Boop. They didn’t want their children to identify with the crass persona of Donald Duck.
Of course. Mickey’s always been wholesome.
Yeah. He was always whistling and having a good time. His first comic was Steamboat[Released in 1928, the animated short Steamboat Willie is generally considered the debut of both Minnie and Mickey] and in the majority of that he’s sitting there whistling away and sailing in a tugboat. So that’s what appealed to the audiences. Instead of Donald always being hateful and crass.
When did Minnie come on the watch scene?
Minnie didn’t get on a timepiece until 1968.
That’s quite a gap.
From ’68 to ’71 were the only years that Timex made Minnie Mouse. And then Bradley took it over from there. Ingersoll/ Timex went through rough times. In ’71 they lost the rights [to make Disney watches].
your Instagram there’s a set of special editions of character watches from 1948. Donald Duck, Pinocchio…
That was the birthday editions. Mickey Mouse was officially born in 1928, so that would have been for his 20th birthday. It was the characters that were in all his pictures – minus Minnie. [Dapper Brazilian parrot] José Carioca, I really don’t understand how he got into the loop.
Also, Jiminy Cricket, the wisecracking guy with the top hat. He was annoying.
I’ve got a case of them right here. Jiminy Cricket and Pinocchio did fairly well. And Snow White, and Donald. And yet we didn’t have a Minnie. They could have done away with [circus escapee] Bongo The Bear and given Minnie her watch, in my opinion.
Was that just down to sexism?
Well, you can’t say that ‘cos Daisy had her watch.
Daisy came before Minnie?
Actually, on a timepiece she did.
Do you have a preference on design when it comes to character watches?
Personally, I’m a larger framed person and I like at least a watch that covers a minimum of 32mm. That’s just me. The smaller watches that were made for the younger kids and stuff… well, first off, I can’t get them on my arm.
And in terms of the characters? Mickey has gone through a few makeovers.
My preference on Mickey’s attire is that I have to go with the 1936 English Mickey Mouse design. It’s called the Bearded Mickey. It was only in the UK, they didn’t export them. It looks like he’s got a 5 o’clock shadow and his fingers are individually painted on the gloves. It’s just an excellent looking timepiece.
What do you like so much about it?
Mickey himself is kind of ugly, but his hands are very unique. The fingers are actually folded and painted black. And the fingers are pointing, instead of just of being a glob pointing with a glove. So, the UK got better than the US on the first editions.
Why has he got a 5 o’clock shadow?
Nobody’s ever come up with a theory on that. But that was the second-issue Mickey Mouse in the UK. And it was approved by Disney. You can Google it. Just put “1936 Bearded Mickey”. It’s a collectors-have-to-have type piece.
I’ve found him. He’s huge on the dial.
Right, right. As a matter of a fact, his ears are in the numerals.
The first one that’s come up is on eBay for £775. Not cheap.
Oh, no. And that’s probably with no packaging, right?
It looks pretty beaten-up.
The dials on those are made of cellulose. They coated that on top and it doesn’t degrade. It keeps its sheen and its nice colour. They’re nice pieces.
Nasa has connections with character watches. Buzz Aldrin wore a Mickey Mouse watch.
Yes, he did. There’s actually pictures of him wearing one in uniform all over the internet. He’s dressed in his Air Force uniform wearing his Mickey Mouse watch.
And Nasa used Snoopy as a mascot. Omega, and now Swatch, have used Snoopy on their Moonwatches/ MoonSwatches. Is Snoopy part of your collection?
Yes. I’ve got Lucy and Charlie and other Peanuts characters. Snoopy’s right in there with them.
Do you go high-end, too?
When I can afford ‘em. Yeah, I have a few. I’ve got a custom Daytona.
Nice.
Yeah.
How about Gérald Genta models?
Oh yeah! There’s at least five of those pieces I would love to have. “Golfing Mickey” and “Treasure Island Mickey” are my pipe dream. I could buy one, but I would have to explain it to the wife. So that’s not going to work.
We don’t want to get you into trouble, but would she even notice?
She wouldn’t come in the Watch Room and notice it. But as soon as I showed it on my wrist, she’d notice that I hadn’t worn that one before.
What does she think about all this?
She thinks I’m a hoarder! No, that’s wrong, I shouldn’t say that. She really doesn’t say anything detrimental. And I’m pretty much allowed to get up to whatever I want. Because she collects hummingbird pieces. Very intricate, minute things. So, my watches are actually large pieces compared to her collection.
You’re both collectors!
It comes with controversy. Who gets what room…
Christmas and anniversary presents must be a doddle, though.
Oh yeah. “Guess what this is?” That’s how it goes.
My favourite character watches are the Genta jump hour models.
I like things like that, too. Anything that has what I call "animatronics" on it, so that it’s something besides just the hands and the character. There’s a Cinderella piece I really like – a small bird rocks as the seconds click.
Who makes that one?
A lot of them are made over in Sweden. There was a company called Muros, who did a bunch of different ones. Dick Tracy, who has a pistol in his hand that rocks back and forth; [the “Singing Cowboy”] Gene Autry… There’s multiple people that made them. And then when you get into the electronic watches, when they started going with the battery, you could really do some strange things. You could throw in another servomotor [a type of motor that can rotate or move to a specific position, used today in robotics] and you can make a wheel turn backwards…
This is when they get into quartz.
With the LED quartz displays they could even do little moving pictures. I’ve got a Popeye and Olive Oyl watch where Olive Oyl is floating him over the top of Popeye and throwing him kisses and stuff. It’s a Japanese market piece. It’s kind of strange-looking but it’s still neat.
Christmas and anniversary presents must be a doddle, though.
Oh yeah. “Guess what this is?” That’s how it goes.
My favourite character watches are the Genta jump hour models.
I like things like that, too. Anything that has what I call "animatronics" on it, so that it’s something besides just the hands and the character. There’s a Cinderella piece I really like – a small bird rocks as the seconds click.
Who makes that one?
A lot of them are made over in Sweden. There was a company called Muros, who did a bunch of different ones. Dick Tracy, who has a pistol in his hand that rocks back and forth; [the “Singing Cowboy”] Gene Autry… There’s multiple people that made them. And then when you get into the electronic watches, when they started going with the battery, you could really do some strange things. You could throw in another servomotor [a type of motor that can rotate or move to a specific position, used today in robotics] and you can make a wheel turn backwards…
This is when they get into quartz.
With the LED quartz displays they could even do little moving pictures. I’ve got a Popeye and Olive Oyl watch where Olive Oyl is floating him over the top of Popeye and throwing him kisses and stuff. It’s a Japanese market piece. It’s kind of strange-looking but it’s still neat.
This is a 50-year collection, right?
’69 was my first piece. This means I’m old.
How well do your older watches run?
With the old vintage pieces, you have to take into account that they’re simple, thin lever movements that are stamped out in mass production. To actually have them running 85 years later is a testament to ingenuity and the simplicity of the timepiece itself.
Are you still collecting?
If I see a piece, sometimes it has to come home. [laughs]
What about eBay?
I haven’t gone on there in probably two or three years because the market started getting really crazy. People were spending way too much money on junk and letting the good stuff go. I didn’t understand it, so I just got out of it.
Apart from the Gentas, is there dream piece out there, a grail?
There’s a grail out there and I know where it is.
Go on.
It’s in London. I sold it to a good friend, so I know where it’s at. If I see another one, I’ll own it.
We're guessing it’s a Mickey.
Yes, it is. And it’s a prototype. I only know of three. In 1939, they did the first 10ct gold-plated Mickey Mouse watch. And I had the 1938 model that was a prototype that wasn’t approved yet.
Do you mind us asking why you let it go?
The collector is an extremely good friend of mind and an avid collector and we did some trading. And I ended up with a British-made 1939 Donald Duck wristwatch – they made a wristwatch, a pocket watch and a tabletop display that was not authorised. It was made in the UK in 1939 before Disney and Ingersoll even released a Donald Duck pocket watch. So, yeah, it was a good trade.
How do you decide which watch to wear?
That’s luck of the draw. I have one cabinet that I call my high-end. And I have a cabinet next to that is my rotation. Sometimes a high-end gets grabbed, but normally it’s out of my rotation. And there’s about 20 pieces that I normally wear.
What’s going to happen to your collection?
Right down the road from me, 50 miles, is the birthplace of Disney and they’re opening a little museum. So, either they’ll get it or my kids will have a huge boot sale, I’m not sure which.
I like one of those options better.
You know, we do, too.
This story is from About Time, Esquire’s free weekly newsletter devoted to the world of watches. Sign up here
You Might Also Like
