Barry'd Treasures
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Tinker Bell from the Marc Davis watch collection

Disney Watches

There have been well over one thousand different watches with Disney characters on them since 1933, in that same year the first Mickey Mouse watches were made by the Ingersoll-Waterbury Watch Company, they made over six million watches that year with a retail price of $2.95. That same watch today may bring six hundred to seven hundred dollars, One thousand dollars to Twelve Hundred dollars in the original box. That Mickey watch had a revolving disc as a second hand and a beautiful metal band with little Mickey Mouse’s all over it. That Mickey Mouse watch saved the Ingersoll Company from bankruptcy. In the 1940’s Ingersoll changed its name to U.S. Time and in the 50’s to a name we are all familiar with Timex, you know it takes a licking but keeps on ticking, sorry I had to say it, I love slogans.

Two watches from the Disney Store Princess series from the mid-90s.

Every Disney character at one time or another has had its likeness on a watch face, from the Three Little Pigs to Zorro. Disney has made watches for almost every event and occasion from a Movie Opening to Disneyland’s Birthday. Many of these watches are very scarce and limited, The toughest Disney watches to own are from the Disney cast members, which are only available to the employees of the Walt Disney Company. Some of these are just fantastic, for instance in 1989 to commemorate the opening of Splash Mountain, Disney made a cast member watch with Brer Bear, Brer Fox, and Brer Rabbit sitting in a log and going down Splash Mountain and the entire watch was filled with water!

The Haunted Mansion Cast Member Watch is a favorite of mine because when you push a button it talks, its limited of course to 999 of them, I wonder why?

Two of the "less expensive" Cast Member watches. The 1999 holiday watch and the Disney's California Adventure Countdown Watch

Since 1983 Disney has been giving free watches away at the Disney Stores when you purchased a new video of one of their new animated classics. When Little Mermaid came out, they made a beautiful holographic watch of Ariel the Mermaid, It was just gorgeous, these watches were made for children but some have become cherished collectibles. Many of them were worn and then destroyed by their kid owners, some just didn’t last long as they were poorly made, but they were wonderful to look at. So having one of these in great condition means a lot.