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Tag: 1930’s

Vintage Watch Ads- The Original Tick Tock

Pinterest at the start of the year predicted a few trends that they believe are going to see searches pickup for on their platform and one of those was clocks & watches.

Now here at the Vintage Inn Blog we know already that Horology (“the study of time” & or an “instrument for telling the hour”) has been trendy for a very long time. How can you not love a vintage watch that keeps on ticking for ever and ever? So for today’s post let’s have a bit of fun with it and showcase some cool vintage watche ads (clocks will have it’s own post another time) from the 1920s-1960s that I have found on the web (plus some lovely vintage examples).

1950s vintage HAMILTON WATCH advertisement illustration college men women professor

Source: Pinterest

Disclosure: Some of the links on my blog from Etsy , eBay, are Affiliate Links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. 

Vintage Watch Advertisements

1920’s-1960’s

Pocket Watches! So very stylish in the 1920s (well anytime in my mind). Here are some designs you could of owned in 1926 from Keystone standard watches.

1926 Keystone Watch Case Co Riverside New Jersey 1920's Standard Pocket Watch Ad

Source: eBay

1920’s Omega gold filled watches ad.

1920's Omega Gold Filled 80 Watch Wristwatches Art Deco vintage print Ad

Source: eBay

1937 Elgin watches ad: “Special Elgin!”

Original 1937 Elgin Watches Ad for men and women.

Source: Etsy

1938 Hamilton watch Of railroad accuracy ad: “Jim~Read This Note Before You Open The Package!”

1938 Hamilton Watch Ad 1930s vintage watches for men and women

Source: Etsy

1934 Gruen watches ad: “The Gift The Graduate Expects!”.

This vintage ad visually throws me off. My last name is Gruening and I keep seeing my last name even though there is no “ing”. HA!

Original 1934 Gruen Watches Ad.

Source: Etsy

1937 Gruen Curvex wristwatches Ad: “Amazing & Exquisite Exclaim Eminent Celebrities At World Premiere!”

Curved watches by Gruen are STUNNING!

1937 Gruen Curvex Wristwatches Ad. Vintage watches for men and women.

Source: Etsy

1942 Gruen watches ad: “American Fashion Firsts! for 42!”

Original 1942 Gruen Watches Ad. Vintage watches for women and men.

Source: Etsy

WW2 Hamilton watch ad, 1941: “We shall ride this storm through!”

1940s Vintage Watch Ad for Hamilton Watches during WW2. Hamilton Watch Ride Storm Through (1942)

Source: Vintage Ad Browser

1947 Helbros Fine wristwatches ad: “10 Faces That Beam With Christmas Spirit.”

Original 1947 Helbros Fine Wristwatch Magazine Ad.

Source: Etsy

1951 Hamilton fine watches ad: “A Hamilton Watch & Love Note To Peggy From Jim.”

Side note: I’m in love with Peggy’s Poinsetta blouse.

1951 Hamilton Fine Watches "A Hamilton Watch & Love Note To Peggy From Jim" Vintage Ad

Source: Etsy

1955 Timex watch ad: “The Fine Watch at 1/3 The Fine Watch Price!”

1955 Timex Watch "The Fine Watch at 1/3 The Fine Watch Price!" Vintage Print Ad

Source: Etsy

As seen in a 1952 Sears Wishbook. Classy women’s watches with the prettiest face from Bulova & Elgin. Then classic & stylish men’s watches also by Bulova and Elgin. What watch would you purchase?

Sears wishbook 1952 watches for men and watches for women catalog page

Here is a Bulova watch ad from Canadian Magazine, Macleans. October 1958.

Vintage 50s Bulova Watch Ad Canadian Magazine Macleans October 1958

Source: Etsy

1959 Bulova Sea King watch ad: “The Thinnest Waterproof We’ve Ever Made!”

1950s Men's Watches-Original 1959 Bulova Sea King Watch Ad.

Source: Etsy

1964 Bulova First Lady series watch ad: “Dazzling Precious Diamond Jewelry That Tells Perfect Time!”

Original 1964 Bulova First Lady Series Watch Print Ad. High Fashion Vintage Watch Ad.

Source: Etsy

James Bond and his Rolex as seen in this vintage 1965 ad promoting the watch & the next James Bond movie, ‘Thunderball’.

1960s Rolex Watch ad featuring Sean Connery as James Bond in Thunderball

Source: Pinterest

1966 Timex electric wrist watch.

 Original 1966 Timex Electric Wrist Watch Ad for the world's first electric wrist watch. Vintage watch ad for men and women.

Source: Etsy

Examples of vintage watches you can buy online for Men and Women:

1969 Lucerne Swiss Calendar Watch (avail as of March 2nd, 2022 HERE).

This watch is the Lucerne Calendar watch which was swiss made and touts that it has a unbreakable mainspring. The watch has been stored in the original packaging with paperwork. LOOK AT THAT BOX ARTWORK?! So Cool!

Vintage Men's Watch from 1969-Mid Century Modern 1969 Never Worn Lucerne Swiss Calendar Unbreakable Mainspring Day and Date mechanical watch in BOX.

Source: Etsy

Remember all those GRUEN ads above? Here is a couple examples (of many on ETSY) that you can take home and start enjoying ASAP.

1930s women’s watch by GRUEN. What a beauty! (avail as of March 2nd, 2022 HERE)

1930s womens watch by GRUEN - Circa 1930s Art Deco Gruen 14K Gold Plate Watch

Source: Etsy

1940s women’s GRUEN Watch, 10k Gold filled (Avail as of March 2nd, 2022 HERE).

1940s Women's Watch by GRUEN Vintage Watch

Source: Etsy

Do we have any pocket watch fans that read my blog? Here is an exquisite piece from the 1920s that I’m sure you will enjoy. A Hamilton Railroad Pocket Watch (avail as of March 2nd, 2022 HERE).

1920s Vintage Watch for Men. A Vintage Hamilton Railroad Pocket Watch.

Source: Etsy

“Timex. It takes a licking and keeps on ticking”. A 1966 Timex 21 Jewel Self Wind Watch (avail as of March 2nd, 2022 HERE).

1966 Timex 21 Jewel Self Wind Watch. 1960s Vintage Men's Watch.

Source: Etsy

Question Time: Do you wear a watch? Or not a big fan? Share any thoughts you have on watches & in the comments section below.

FURTHER READING: Vintage Advertisements 1920s-1960s (Archived Blog Posts)

Thanks for dropping by!

Liz

Lindy Hop in Commercials & Music Videos

If you have been following my blog for sometime (or read the “about me“) then you know that I am a Lindy Hopper.

Leon James & Willa Mae Ricker, images by Gjon Mili

Lindy hop is the granddaddy of all swing dances, a dance originated by the Black community that is both uniquely American… and now spans the globe.  

Lindy hop takes its name from the Charles Lindbergh’s flight to Paris in 1927.

If Tango is sultry, and Ballroom dancing is aloof, lindy hop is joyful and playful.  Lindy has a grounded, flowing style that closely reflects its music — from the late 20s hot jazz to the early 40s big bands.

Harlem, New York, and in particular the Savoy Ballroom (“The Home of Happy Feet”) is where the dance was developed and innovated from the 1920s onward.

Based on earlier dances such as the Charleston, the Black Bottom and the Breakaway, the dance evolved and spread over the decades along with the new swing music. 

And while the dance continues to evolve today, contemporary lindy hoppers still strive for that same spirit, inventiveness, and musicality of the pioneers of lindy hop like Norma Miller, Dean Collins, Frankie Manning and many more.

Learn more at Yehoodi

I have been dancing since 2008 and I love it a lot and even met my now husband on the dance floor (not my husband pictured below HA!). It’s been hard with the pandemic to not swing dance like I used to but life is slowly coming back so I will be hitting the floor very soon I’m sure.

Toronto Vintage Society Lindy Hop Dancing
Here I am Lindy Hopping at the Toronto Vintage Society Kitshmas Party

For today’s post I wanted to showcase Lindy Hop out of it’s normal world (dances, competitions and classes) and showcase music videos & commercials that have used Lindy Hop as part of the esthetic or story.

Let’s see what I have found!

Lindy Hop in Commercials & Music Videos

First up, can it get any more cooler then seeing Lindy Hop in a ADELE VIDEO? Yes THEE Adele!

Check out Chandrae Roettig Gomez and Stephen Sayer dancing in Adele’s new music video “Oh My God.” They come in around the 1:15 mark doing some impressive swing outs and airsteps (Chandrae has long curly hair).

Great song and lots of super other styles of dance as well.

(Video link HERE)


My next selection is a HUGE favourite of mine (it gives me goosebumps every time I watch it) because it was so well done. Lindy Hop in a Guinness Commercial-“John Hammond, Intolerant Champion”

About the commercial:

  • Guinness’ advertisement tells story of jazz musician John Hammond who discovered Black artists Billie Holiday and Aretha.
  • In 1930s New York Black and white musicians rarely played together, with many music venues banning Black people.
  • Advert tells story of jazz musician John Hammond who was born before the civil rights movement in America.
  • Although he was white, Hammond had burning passion for music of Black origin, including jazz, blues and gospel.
  • So he toured the bars and clubs of Harlem, seeking original, undiscovered talent to feature on his radio show (Source).
  • Directed by Jake Nava, c/o Cherry Films. Set in Harlem in the 1930s, this short film was shot in London in 2015 and features all British dancers.

(Video link HERE).

The below video is a longer more in depth version of what was seen on TV in the UK (Video Link HERE). I highly recommend checking this video out as well.


Famous Soul / Jazz artist Jon Batiste recently joined forces with a crew of Lindy Hoppers for his new Video, For “I Need You” in 2021. This video will MAKE YOU WANT TO DANCE!

About the video:

“It’s got to be an experience. It can’t be something that’s like a museum piece.”

As bandleader on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, as co-artistic director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, and as a solo artist with a freewheeling relationship to genre. The exuberant video for his new single, “I Need You,” takes his proposition literally: set in an art gallery, it imagines what would happen if some archival photographs of Lindy Hoppers in Harlem suddenly came to life (Source).

(Video Link HERE).


1998…The Gap Commercial that fueled a Neo-Swing Craze (aka the Swing Revival)! (Including for me, but I was obsessed with swing since 1993 when Swing Kids came out).

About the commercial (from Yehoodi):

By 1998 there was already a significant “neo-swing” movement happening throughout the United States and elsewhere. Bands like Royal Crown ReviewGeorge Gee’s Make Believe Ballroom Orchestra and Lavay Smith and her Red Hot Skillet Lickers had been performing for nearly 10 years to large audiences around the country. The Derby nightclub in LA had been offering swing music and dancing every night a week since 1993. Movies like “Swing Kids” in 1993 and “The Mask” in 1994 and “Swingers” in 1996 prominently featured swing dancing in the storylines. 

Still, for many swing dancers of that era, what we called simply “the Gap Ad” was a pivotal moment for us.

The Gap clothing commercial was notable for a number of reasons. It was one of the first uses in a commercial of the “bullet-time” filming technique, made famous by the “Matrix” movies. It combined a “classic” jump blues song (“Jump and Jive” by Louis Prima) with a young, attractive, energetic group of dancers in modern casual clothing. It featured lots of flashy aerials. 

In short, it was the perfect fuel to spread even faster an already vibrant dance movement. 

(Video Link HERE).


A Catalan 2017 commercial for sparkling water. “Did you know that the flavors of Vichy Catalan, with 0% sugar, will give you all the “Swing” you need? Try them and you won’t be able to stop dancing…”

(Video link HERE).


A German delivery service commercial. I would of loved to have been in the marketing meeting for this one.

“Here is my thought…2 people meet on the street and start swing dancing, one is the delivery guy. Perfect! Book the dancers!” HA! It’s a cute commercial and worth the watch.

(Video link HERE).


This next one is not a commercial or a video but a TV show but as a fan of this show I wanted to share it….so….please don’t judge me but I’m a huge Bachelor / Bachelorette fan. It’s my guilty pleasure TV (sorry not sorry. HA!).

Now back in 2016 one of the dates the Bachelorette JoJo Fletcher got to do, was a Lindy Hop date (they learned some steps & then attended an outdoor dance filled with skilled Lindy Hoppers and Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five playing for them.

Here is a clip of the fun (video link HERE).


“What is the link between the land of cognac, jazz, blues, and hip-hop?” asks Grammy-award winning singer Usher at the beginning of this extended ad / music video for cognac maker Rémy Martin.

The video features legendary dancer (in Lindy Hop & so many other styles) Chester Whitmore. Plus you will see some fantastic tap dancing and a bit of Lindy Hop / Rhythm & Blues dancing in the early part of the commercial (before 4 mins).

Here is a screen shot from Yehoodi of Chester in the video, but he appears in various times throught the 6 min commercial. Check it out below, it is really fun!

Chester Whitmore legendary dancer in a cognac video with Usher.

(Video Link HERE).

I really hope you enjoyed watching these music videos and commercials. I know they made me want to jump up and dance!

Please share in the comments section what your favourite was.

FURTHER READING: Collection of Vintage Blog Posts on Swing Dance & The Big Band Era

Thanks for stopping by!

Liz