A cartoon’s influence and association can no longer be categorised as kiddish as throngs of cartoon characters have since found new homes in luxury fashion houses and watchmakers. Louis Vuitton created headlines in 2016 when Final Fantasy protagonist Lightning fronted its campaign. The Disney and Gucci saga took off shortly after, while evergreen classics such as Mickey Mouse and Hello Kitty are perennial favourites — in other words, it is now the new cool to be spotted with such items from clothes to watches.
With that in mind, we pick out a few favourite cartoon watches for a big boy’s wrist.
Pictured above: Disney Mickey Mouse X Keith Haring Collection by Swatch
35 years after the first collaboration, Disney & the Keith Haring Studio reprise their partnership once again to present their second release of cartoon watches. Their latest collaboration sees Mickey Mouse reimagined by late Haring’s signature aesthetic, vibrant energy and colours.
Haring’s revolutionary and provocative graffiti-esque pictograms, lines and symbols are replicated on the Eclectic Mickey through the trademark mesmerizing black and white curved lines. Swatch’s iconic colours are presented in a blue case and contrasting yellow hour and minute hands.
Other pieces in the collection include the Mouse Marinière and Mickey Blanc Sur Noir as well as the coveted 2.1m tall Maxi Eclectic Mickey wall clock.
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Doraemon x Gucci Dive watch
After immensely popular collaborations with Disney, Gucci turned their attention to Japan as popular anime character Doraemon is the House’s newest pop-up mascot. The futuristic cat-robot is splashed across apparels, footwear and accessories — including the Gucci Dive watch.
A yellow gold PVD case houses Doraemon at the bottom of the dial, accompanied by whimsical colours on the indices and watch hands. A brown monogram dial and strap grounds keeps the fun factor grounded while another emblem of Doraemon can be found on the case back.
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Omega Speedmaster “Silver Snoopy Award” 50th Anniversary
Everyone’s favourite beagle and brainchild of Charles M. Schulz Snoopy can be seen “piloting” a Command and Service Module (CMS) on the case back of the Omega Speedmaster “Silver Snoopy Award” 50th Anniversary edition. On the dial side, an embossed silver Snoopy medallion on the blue subdial can be seen as he spots his famous spacesuit.
The relationship between Snoopy and Omega dates back to 1970 after NASA presented Omega with the Silver Snoopy Award. As the safety watchdog of NASA, the Snoopy award represents the space organisation’s safety program. An Omega Speedmaster was used to avoid tragedy in NASA’s Apollo 13 mission — read the full scoop here.
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Seiko 5 Sports X Naruto and Boruto
Japanese anime Naruto was first broadcasted in Japan in 2002 and has since fascinated fans throughout the world after it was introduced abroad (look up Naruto run). As fellow Japanese, Seiko presented no less than seven iterations of the revamped Seiko 5 Sports collection with colourways that represent seven different characters of the Naruto and Boruto worlds. Boruto is a spinoff from the Naruto series.
Protagonist Naruto’s iconic orange Ninja outfit takes centre stage for the Seiko 5 Sports edition. Ardent fans will be quick to notice the spiral pattern on the dial mimicking his Rasengan. The nine orange indices hint of the Nine-Tails sealed within him while the symbol of his forehead protector is engraved on the bezel.
Catch up with our February 2021 issue here.
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