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Adolf Hitler’s gold “Reverso” watch, seized by French troops from the Nazi leader’s Berghof vacation home in the Bavarian Alps, is heading to auction as one of the rarest items ever put up for sale from the dictator’s personal collection.
The watch, adorned with “AH,” a swastika, and the first Nazi Party eagle, is appraised at $1.6 million and could bring 10 times that, said the Maryland-based seller Alexander Historical Auctions.
“In 2017, Paul Newman’s Rolex sold at auction for over $17 million,” recalled Alexander Managing Member Bill Panagopulos, whose historical sales often garner worldwide attention.
Screen Shot 2022-06-22 at 3.16.31 PM.png“Hitler’s watch is, in our opinion, incomparable. It’s simply the most evocative and important timepiece to ever be offered for sale anywhere. It represents arguably the most influential individual of all time,” he told Secrets.
The watch is one of several eye-popping items from World War II in Alexander’s upcoming auction. Another coveted watch included in the sale was a gift from Benito Mussolini to Adolf Hitler’s top SS commando, Otto “Scarface” Skorzeny, who rescued the Italian dictator from imprisonment on an Italian mountaintop in 1943. The gold watch bears Mussolini’s initial “M” and was taken from Skorzeny by an American interrogator.
Alexander has sold several other items seized at the Berghof in past auctions and specializes in World War II-era artifacts.
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The decorative presentation watch is accompanied by a review of its authenticity, or provenance, and its history of discovery at the Berghof in Berchtesgaden, Germany.
“It certainly belonged to Chancellor Adolf Hitler,” said the document.
The authenticator said it was likely given to Hitler on April 20, 1933, when, on his 44th birthday, he was named with former Chancellor Paul von Hindenburg an honorary citizen of Bavaria.
Panagopulos said the watch was taken by the first French troops to enter the evacuated Berghof at the end of the European war in May 1945.
“French soldiers belonging to the Regiment de Marche du Tchad, a unit of the 2nd Armored Division commanded by the brilliant General Philippe Leclerc, stormed the Berghof, barely ahead of the American troops of the 3rd Armored Division. Among the members of this unit was Sergeant Robert Mignot who with his comrades quickly gained access to Hitler’s secondary residence and the Eagle’s Nest,” said Alexander’s description of the watch.
It was Mignot who found the watch and kept it. “Sergeant Mignot returned to France with the watch and resold it over time to his cousin, our consignor’s grandfather. It has remained in the exclusive possession of the Mignot family and that of our consignor since its discovery and has never been offered for sale before,” said Alexander.
Even for noncollectors of World War II artifacts, the watch is a rare beauty. It is made of both white and yellow gold and has a lizard band. It is a classic Andreas Huber “Reverso,” a style that allows the face to be flipped 180 degrees to show the timepiece or case face.
At the time, Huber was the go-to maker of fine watches for German brass.
Panagopulos said he expects the watch will draw much attention.
“While Hitler’s correspondence, his silverware, and even his paintings and articles of his clothing and uniforms are regularly offered for sale, in only a few instances in a lifetime would one see a piece of Hitler’s jewelry come up for auction. And a spectacular wristwatch, especially given to the dictator by his most ardent supporters, has never seen the light of day. It is an absolutely unique and important historical object. This is a rare opportunity for the discriminating collector to obtain one of the most important timepieces ever created,” he said.
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Watch Brochure Final 2 (1) by Paul Bedard
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