Advertising watches are a terrific collectible. Generally modestly priced, they are fun to find and easy to store and display. A collection can include early, scarce examples from the early 1970's. But, far many more advertising watches exist, and an impressive collection can be built by staying current.
Advertising-logo watches and clocks can be analog - faces with numbers and hands, or digital. Most current watches are battery operated. They can be plastic or metal, cheap or expensive, plain or with excellent art on the face, plain or with decorated straps, and shipped only in bubble wrap or an especially well designed container.
Ad watches often feature a corporate logo character such as the M&M's characters, Tony The Tiger, and Ronald McDonald. An offer for a Quisp character watch appeared on regional test market boxes in 1997. Non-ad characters appear on ad watches as well; currently, Frosted Cheerios offers a fine Gumby & Pokey watch (offer expires 2/1/98). M&M's current offer is for a great Minis watch (offer expires 9/30/97).
Categories of watches include food - sub-categories like cereals, snacks, and beverages, animals, sports, movies, television, restaurants, and many more. In 1996, more than thirty premium watches were offered by various companies, generally as a "money plus" offer, although some are free. Many logo watches were available through retail catalogs.
"The Premium Watch Watch," a four year old bimonthly newsletter, is a reliable source of information on offers. A network has grown through the publication to find regional and obscure watch offers, far more than one can find on their own.
Annual balloting for the most collectible ad-logo watches gives subscribers the opportunity to nominate and vote for their favorite watches of the past year. Watches are selected in four categories.
The 1996 "Most Collectible Premium Watch" was The Pillsbury Doughboy Talking Watch. It is a great looking plastic digital alarm watch with a blue logo printed strap. An unusual feature is a recording of the Doughboy laughingly announcing the time. An original order form, $5.95 and three proofs of purchase from Pillsbury products was required.
The 1996 "Best Advertising/Logo Watch with Special Packaging" was The M&M's New Blue Color Watch. The New Blue M&M plays the sax on the face of a black plastic analog watch. A revolving disk features the other color M&M's. The watch was packaged in a hard plastic box with a logo slip cover in gold, red, and green. The watch was $9.95 with proofs of purchase from three Mars products.
The 1996 "Best Retail Advertising/Logo Watch" was a Limited Edition Oreo Cookie Watch, first offered in "Nabisco America's Favorites Fall 1996 Catalog." The analog goldtone face is relief molded and resembles a real Oreo cookie. The catalog price was $50.
The 1996 "Honorable Mention" was The Kraft Super Bowl XXX Watch. The watch was in this category because no Kraft logo mark is on the watch; it appears only on a small cardboard fastener in the box. The watch has a heavy bronzetone case with Super Bowl XXX logo art on the face and back. The display box is a football field with goal post set in the lid. Each watch required the original Sunday Supplement order form, $10.95, three POPS from specific products, and dated cash register tapes from a specific time frame.
"The Premium Watch Watch," edited by Sharon Iranpour, is published six times a year. The newsletter focuses on advertising-logo watches and clocks. Each issue contains detailed information on new premium watch offers, lists catalog watch issues, Internet watch offers, and watch collecting news. Subscribers may place free classified ads. A subscription is $15 per year. A sample issue is available; send a LSASE to 24 San Rafael Drive, Rochester, NY 14618.