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What was the first watch you ever loved? Chances are, it wasn’t a high-end perpetual calendar, a dazzling tourbillon, or a rainbow chronograph. For many kids, the path to horological obsession begins with “character” watches—timepieces emblazoned with the likeness of a well-known figure from comic books, cartoons, or other pop cultural phenomena. And these days, if you’re a serious collector, there are plenty of alluring character watches—some affordable, some extremely not—worth chasing.
Take, for example, Revolution and The Rake’s latest limited-edition watch with none other than the king of American prep himself: Ralph Lauren. The third such collaboration between the horological and sartorial magazines founded by Wei Koh and Lauren’s iconic brand, it depicts the famed Polo Bear decked out in the Snow Beach parka of the 1993 Ralph Lauren urban sportswear collection.
A reference to both ‘90s hip-hop culture as well as to the history of the Polo Bear itself, the Snow Beach Bear Watch follows on the heels of two other models depicting the affable, ursine mascot—both of which have sold out on The Rake’s website. (This one, however, comes with custom mirrored sunglasses complete with a sports strap, plus a colorful leather NATO. The shades alone may be worth the price of admission.)
Koh, of course, is no stranger to high-end watchmaking. A well known watch and style journalist and a serious collector, his encyclopedic knowledge of both watches and the watchmaking industry has led to numerous high-end, limited-edition pieces produced by some of the most famed and well-respected watchmakers in the world. But there’s something about the character watch—its playfulness, its connotations of childhood, its affordability, its color—that clearly appealed to both Koh and Lauren alike.
Where did this whole “character” watch business originate? From the late 19th century through the Second World War, American watch companies produced tens of millions of timepieces. Many of these companies are now long out of business, or their names and IP have been purchased by foreign investment groups and conglomerates. (Think Hamilton, Bulova, Benrus, etc.)
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