I got this Hopalong Cassidy watch at an auction the other day. I have not seen one with the original box.

The box is a thin cardboard, and the saddle inside is also is a thin cardboard. I can see why not many survived.

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Neat watch Tom, looks to be in great shape.
I have to ask was Hopalong a radio character or movie character.I have heard of him, but he was before my time.

Hoppy was both a radio, TV and film charater. His real name was William Boyd, who made a lot of $$$$ in his Hoppy role.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=13853&item=6529280200&rd=1
Hey Tommy:
Check this out.I thought it might make a nice match to your Hopalong Cassidy Watch.
I thought you might get a kick out of it.
Respectfully,Bob Fullerton

The Western Channel which is available on the satellite television service Directv often runs black & white movies starring Boyd as Hopalong Cassidy as well as some with Roy Rogers and Gene Autry.

Thanks for all the additional info guys.

Bob,
I looked at that horse clock match for the watch and am wondering why the picture and name are only hidden inside the back cover where no one will see it. As mentioned above, Hoppy had a good sense for marketing. I would think if all were right, it would have the name and face on the dial and elsewhere.

What do you and others think?

Tom, My first watch was a "Hoppy" watch that I was given as a birthday present in either 1952 or 53. If I remember correctly, mine was in a plastic box with the watch wrapped around a regular wristwatch bracket in the box. No saddle in mine. Due to the packaging in yours, I'm guessing that yours is much earlier that mine was.

And, No, I don't have the watch. It stopped after a couple of years, and I don't remember what happened to it.

Tom

Aaron Faber and Stuart Unger's exceptional book: American Wrist Watches: Five Decades of Style and Design has an excellent chapter on "character watches".

Although I am not a collector of this type of watch, I have briefly owned several original Mickey Mouse watches, and several other amusing character watches.

This is a great watch, and a topic that we shoud discuss more often on this thread. Let's all be on the look out for Character watches, call attention to the auctions, and talk more about these artifacts of American cultural history.

Nice find Tom. And Hoppy was NOT before my time.
I remember going down to the boys club where he was making an appearance. I'm 58, and remember my Dad lifting me up on his shoulders so I could see. Awhile ago.

...great find Tom!...I have a 'Hoppy' but not with the fine additions of box and saddle that you have...I loved 'Hoppy's' very ornate gun belt and had one as a kid but that too has gone the way of Tom H's watch...it's not often that I see kids today with toy guns strapped to their waists and for that matter candy cigarettes hanging from their lips...a good thing on both counts I guess...very nice indeed...

Tom,
Thanks for posting your really nice watch. Do you know the approx. year it was made?

This really brings back some memories for those of us they grew up back in the 50's. The Saturday afternoon double feature for 13 cents, Hoppy, Roy, Gene, Wild Bill, Rex, and all the rest.

I think the character watches are really neat, especially when you locate one in the original box. Good find and thanks for sharing it with us.

Robert

Growing up in the hometown of Leonard Sly (Roy Rogers, to those who don't know him by his real name(grins)), these watches have always facinated me. I'll own a RR watch someday, and can only hope to find one in as good a shape as this Hoppy watch! It's on my 'to do' list when the funds are available. Regards! Mark

Thanks all for the comments. It am very happy with this find.

Mark, I was doing a science workshop near Dallas about 12 years ago. The hotel I stayed at was also the choice of Roy and Dale and their family for a large get together. I rode up in the elevator with Roy and Dale. I was a real kick to see them in person.

They were really nice, honest to gosh, down to earth people. Unfortunately, Roy didn't have the business savy of Gene Autry or Hoppy (by his own admission), and didn't purchase the rights to his movies. Because of that, he had to work hard his entire life in personal appearances, television and the like to keep thing going until quite late in life. I was sad to see that in his biography, as that was a missed opportunity of huge dimensions on his part, and he paid dearly the rest of his life for the the oversight. Portsmouth, Ohio still has Roy Rogers days (or did up to a few years ago), and Roy loved to come to them, bringing friends with him, such as Lash Larue, The Virginian, Gene Simmons, Robert Fuller (just to name a few), and they came just because Roy asked them to. Great man, and is still missed by this writer. Regards! Mark

Just in case you are wondering, the box and extra's are worth for more than what the watch is worth by itself.