1969 VINTAGE Spiro Agnew Watch #13828 - Original Dirty Time Company Orange County CA - Swiss Made Designed in California - gently worn

1969 VINTAGE Spiro Agnew Watch #13828 - Original Dirty Time Company Orange County CA - Swiss Made Designed in California - gently worn. Needs a battery and the band is usable but has a slight separation between the layers (see pictures). I do not think this band is original.

My aunt bought this watch in San Diego when they first came out. This would have been worn by my uncle but only briefly and gently.

History on watch______________________________________________________________________________________
During Christmas 1969, a physician in Orange County, California named Hale E. Dougherty decided to capitalize on this joke by making a watch that featured Agnew in a pose and outfit reminiscent of the famous Mickey Mouse watches.

Dougherty named his watch company the “Dirty Time Company,” perhaps in reference to the perceptions about Agnew’s dirty political and financial dealings.

The Dirty Time Company Spiro Agnew watches were basic mechanical, Swiss Made watches. Among those who owned the watches were Elizabeth Taylor, John Lennon, as well as both Republican and Democratic Members of Congress. Dougherty even sent an early watch to Agnew who wrote back that the watch was “both attractive and clever,” before later changing his tune and threatening legal action over the use of his likeness and invasion of his privacy.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________From LA Times__________

Dougherty’s watch -- which lampooned Richard Nixon’s first vice president and retailed for $14.95 -- became a fashion statement for political insiders and celebrities during turbulent times. John Lennon ordered one and sent Dougherty a signed copy of the album “Let It Be” in return. Elizabeth Taylor personally ordered a dozen, then sent her chauffeur to pick them up. A lawyer for President Nixon ordered two in a letter written on White House stationery.

What began as an idea based on a college joke of the time -- Did you know that Mickey Mouse wears a Spiro Agnew watch? -- spawned a profitable novelty watch company and dozens of knockoffs whose creators were promptly sued by Dougherty for copyright infringement.

“It started out as a practical joke, and it turned into a business,” said the doctor’s son Lawrence, one of 10 children. “It swept the country like wildfire. It was a great laugh for people who didn’t like [Agnew]. But a lot of people thought the world of him, and they bought one too.”

Hale Dougherty sent Agnew one of the first watches, and the vice president thought it was “both attractive and clever.”

“My youngest daughter will, I know, enjoy wearing it,” Agnew wrote Dougherty in June 1970. “It is good to have your support and understanding, even though you do not always agree with my thoughts. That is one of the things that makes America great....”

However, a month later, as sales took off and prominent Democrats began sporting the watch, Agnew was less amused. His lawyer sent Dougherty a letter informing him that he hadn’t received Agnew’s permission to use his likeness and that his “droll product” invaded Agnew’s privacy. He said Agnew would grant permission if a substantial portion of the profits from the watch were donated to the families of American soldiers captured or missing in Vietnam.

Dougherty, who was active in Democratic Party politics, made a donation to the American Cancer Society instead.