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Fellows’ first flagship watch auction of 2020 features four military Dirty Dozen watches. The watches were designed by the British Ministry of Supply for the armed forces at the end of the Second World War. They developed their name following the release of The Dirty Dozen film directed by Robert Aldrich in 1967. The watches were representative of each member from the Dirty Dozen film, featuring twelve soldiers during the War. All twelve watches were all designed by different brands, and the four watches that are up for auction with Fellows include a Vertex, Cyma and two Record timepieces. Featuring back engravings and black dials, these military watches are sought-after amongst watch collectors. The watches will be sold in The Watch Sale at Fellows Auctioneers, taking place in Birmingham on Monday 10th February.
VERTEX – a stainless steel military issue ‘The Dirty Dozen’ wrist watch
The rarity of these watches is why the full collection is so desirable. Of the four Dirty Dozen watches up for auction, there were only 15,000 Vertex watches created, 25,000 Record watches created and 20,000 Cyma watches designed. The stainless steel watches are all stamped with the British Broad Arrow, alongside Arabic numeral hour markers and subsidiary seconds dials to six. The watches each feature “three W’s” engraved on the back – meaning Watch, Wrist and Waterproof. Estimates of these watches range from the £600 – £1,600 mark.
Laura Bishop, Watch Manager at Fellows Auctioneers, said: “The Dirty Dozen may be known as the infamous American war film from 1967 but in watch collecting circles it is a phrase better used to describe the highly sought after twelve watches used by British soldiers in World War II. Collectively or individually, these watches are extremely sought after and collectable.”
RECORD – a stainless steel military issue ‘The Dirty Dozen’ wrist watch.
Bishop added: “The Ministry of Defence commissioned the production of watches for the British soldiers and twelve watch companies fulfilled the brief: Buren, Cyma, Eterna, Grana, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Lemania, Longines, IWC, Omega, Record, Timor and Vertex. In our February Watch Sale we have examples by Cyma, Record and Vertex. The watches were produced in varying amounts, a fact reflected in the different estimates placed on these examples.”
A full list of the Dirty Dozen watches in the upcoming sale can be seen below:
- Lot 430 – VERTEX – a stainless steel military issue ‘The Dirty Dozen’ wrist watch
- Lot 431 – RECORD – a stainless steel military issue ‘The Dirty Dozen’ wrist watch.
- Lot 432 – CYMA – a stainless steel military issue ‘The Dirty Dozen’ wrist watch.
- Lot 433 – RECORD – a stainless steel military issue ‘The Dirty Dozen’ wrist watch.
Posted in All, Watches
Tagged cyma, dirtydozen, Military, record, stainlesssell, vertex, watches, wristwatch, WWII
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An incredible Rolex ‘4 Liner’ has an estimate of £35,000 – £45,000 in Fellows Auctioneers’ upcoming Watch Sale. The beautifully aged 5508 model features a spider dial, adding to the originality of the captivating timepiece. The Rolex ‘4 liner’ was one the last old-style Submariners, without crown guards which later 5512 and 5513 models possessed. This highly sought-after timepiece dates back to 1962. The watch features as Lot 231, and is a highlight in Fellows’ Watch Sale, which takes place on Tuesday 15th October 2019.
The Rolex Submariner 5508 is commonly known by collectors as the “small crown” model. It is the last of the Submariner series to carry the “100m = 330ft” depth rating. The name ‘4 Liner’ refers to the four lines of text to the dial. This particular variant is referred to as “SCOC,” meaning the text is in the order “Superlative / Chronometer / Officially / Certified” on its dial, showing that this watch is equipped with a chronometer grade movement. Fellows has a history of selling rare Rolex models for high prices, with a Rolex Milgauss selling for £110,000 in November 2017, and a Rolex Explorer selling for £31,900 (including fees), in August 2019.
ROLEX – a gentleman’s stainless steel Oyster Perpetual Submariner ‘4 Liner’ bracelet watch
Steven Yambo, Senior Specialist from the Watch Department at Fellows Auctioneers, said: “I anticipate a lot of bids on this Rolex purely due to its age and originality. I love a Rolex with an alluring spider dial, which certainly makes this stand out amongst others. We have many standout watches in our upcoming sale, so I’m hoping this rounds off a successful auction.”
The Watch Sale is now available to view online and in person at the following times:
8 October 2019 12noon – 7pm (London)
12 October 2019 11am – 4pm (Birmingham)
14 October 2019 10am – 4pm (Birmingham)
15 October 2019 8.30am – 11am (Birmingham)
Photo ID is required
Posted in All, Watches
Tagged 4liner, auction, Birmingham, Fellows, fellowsauctioneers, hammer, jewelleryquarter, oyster, perpetual, rolex, watch, wristwatch
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Every watch in Fellows’ upcoming 15th October sale can be viewed on wrists prior to the sale as additional images for the first time. The sale showcases timepieces from renowned watch brands such as Omega, Patek Philippe, and Rolex. From vintage to the modern day, this auction regularly breaks records and features fine watches – and for the first time all of the watches can be viewed on the Fellows website whilst worn.
This initiative started following the success of Fellows’ recent Fine Jewellery sale. Fellows has been modelling jewellery from their auctions worn on people, which has given customers a greater insight into size and appearance. The aim is similar with watches, as the upcoming Watch Sale has over 300 lots of sought-after Rolex, Omega, Tag Heuer and many more timepieces.
Highlights in this sale include a gentleman’s stainless steel Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner ‘4 Liner’, a base metal WW2 German military issue pilot wrist watch issued for the Luftwaffe during WWII, and multiple desirable Audemars Piguet models. All of these watches can now be viewed via the website whilst worn on a wrist, to give Fellows’ customers a greater insight into how a timepiece would look on them.
Laura Bishop, Watch Manager from the Watch Department at Fellows, said: “We have already had a lot of positive feedback from displaying watches worn on people on our website. We hope it will help our customers and we are always trying to go the extra mile to make the bidding process as efficient as possible. This idea went down very well with jewellery and I’m sure it will have a positive impact on our upcoming Watch Sale. ”
The Watch Sale is now available to view online and in person at the following times:
8 October 2019 12noon – 7pm (London)
12 October 2019 11am – 4pm (Birmingham)
14 October 2019 10am – 4pm (Birmingham)
15 October 2019 8.30am – 11am (Birmingham)
Photo ID is required
Our upcoming watch auction features some stunning timepieces in our upcoming Watch Sale. Horologists will strongly admire some of the rarities that we have coming up in this auction, including a distinctive Rolex watch watch and a rare Panerai.
Add some fizz to your collection with Lot 263 is a gentleman’s stainless steel Rolex Oyster Perpetual GMT-Master bracelet watch.
ROLEX – a gentleman’s stainless steel Oyster Perpetual GMT-Master bracelet watch. Estimate: £6,000 – £8,000
The WATCH comes with the legendary Pepsi style bezel, making it immediately recognisable to all watch enthusiasts.
- Estimate: £6,000 – £8,000.
- Circa 1973.
- Stainless steel case with a calibrated bezel.
- Signed automatic calibre 1570.
- Black dial with luminous hour markers, date aperture to three.
- Fitted to a signed stainless steel Oyster bracelet with Oysterclasp.
- Case size 39mm.
- Comes with box and papers.
- Estimate: £15,000 – £20,000.
- Circa 2007.
- Number 29/50.
- Platinum case with exhibition case back.
- Signed automatic calibre P.2003 with quick date set.
- Grey dial with luminous baton hour markers, Arabic numeral six, nine and twelve, subsidiary seconds dial showing am/pm apertures to nine, horizontal ten day power reserve indicator to six, date aperture to three.
- Fitted to a signed brown crocodile strap with 18ct white gold deployant clasp.
- Case size 45mm.
- Comes with box and limited edition certificate.
Posted in All, Watches
Tagged april, APRILWATCHSALE, bezel, eyes, feast, GMT, horologists, Horology, limitededition, magnificent, oyster, oysterclasp, panerai, pepsi, platinum, radiomir, rare, rolexbezel, wristwatch
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One of the most fascinating items in the history of Fellows has just gone under the hammer with a sale of an extremely rare and historic Second World War Panerai military Diver watch. The Panerai had a hammer price of £41,000 and a price realised (fees included) of £52,316, it sold at approximately 12:24pm during Fellows’ Watch Sale on Tuesday 30th January 2018.
Bids came flying in from three telephone bidders as they went head to head to head. The tension could be felt across the room as the asking price for the Panerai quickly grew to above £30,000. There were gasps amongst the saleroom as the winning bidder placed £41,000 on the watch.
This watch came into the possession of a British soldier during the Second World War. George H. Rowson acquired the watch from a Kampfschwimmer (German frogman), during a thwarted attempted on behalf of the German forces to destroy the important Nijmegen Bridge in the Netherlands, in September 1944.
The incident occurred following the Battle of Nijmegen Bridge. The aim of the battle was for the Allies secure the bridge in order to gain quick access to the Dutch city of Arnhem. Part of a wider initiative known as Operation Market Garden, Allied airborne and land forces attempted to liberate the cities of Eindhoven and Nijmegen in the Netherlands from German occupation.
This model of Panerai watch was initially intended for the Italian Decima MAS until they were taken by the Germans. The German Kampfschwimmer who owned the watch is known to have recieved special training in Italy and wore an Italian-made specialised rubber dive suit.
According to Rowson’s first-hand account of the incident, at 06:30am on Sept 29th 1944, German Kampfschwimmers fixed charges underwater to the main supports of the bridge at Nijmegen. Once the German soldiers had completed their mission, they exited the river thinking they were back within their own lines. At this point, they were captured by a section of British soldiers which included Rowson. The charges they had placed were defused and so Nijmegen Bridge remained undamaged.
The timepiece was eventually passed down to Rowson’s son and has remained in single ownership since, having been worn only a few times. The Panerai was sold with a hand-written account of the event by Rowson, a section of the rubber diving suit acquired from the German soldier, and photocopies of important documents related to Rowson.
Laura Bishop, watch manager at Fellows Auctioneers, said: “It is amazing to have a piece of history sell at Fellows Auctioneers. We are delighted to have been able to sell it for the local family.”
Alexandra Whittaker, a spokesperson for Fellows Auctioneers, said: “Fellows is becoming known for our monthly specialist watch sales and we are happy to have started out first sale of the year with such a prestigious piece as our star lot. I am excited to see what our February Watch Sale will bring.”
Fellows’ next Watch Sale will take place on Tuesday February 27th, starting at 11am.
The auction is available to view in person at the following times:
20 February 2018 12pm – 7pm (London)
24 February 2018 11am – 4pm (Birmingham)
26 February 2018 10am – 4pm (Birmingham)
27 February 2018 8.30am – 11am (Birmingham)
Posted in All, News, Watches
Tagged auction, auctions, bridge, corps, extremely rare, frogman, frogmen, historic, history, luxurylifestyle, marketgarden, netherlands, panerai, paneraiwrist, secondworldwar, soldier, watch, watchauction, watchenvy, watches, watchoftheday, watchsale, worldwar, wristenvy, wristwatch
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Four Dirty Dozen watches up for auction at Fellows