A gold watch that once belonged to Adolf Hitler is set to sell at auction for more than £3m. The watch was looted from the Berghof, Hitler’s mountain hideout, by a French soldier named Sergeant Robert Mignot during the final weeks of World War II. It has remained in the soldier’s family ever since, but is now set to go up for auction with an estimated price of £3.4 million. The watch was made by Swiss luxury watchmaker LeCoultre and features the Nazi leader’s initials, the swastika and the regime’s infamous eagle. It also bears three dates, Hitler’s birthday, the date he was appointed chancellor of Germany and the date of the Nazi party’s election victory in 1933. The watch will go under the hammer at Alexander Historical Auctions in Maryland, United States. Bill Panagopoulos, president of the auction house, said it was the first time a Hitler watch had been offered for public sale. Sergeant Robert Mignot (shown) and his unit at Hitler’s Berghof in 1945 (Image: Alexander Historical Auctions/Pen News) “The watch was given to Hitler probably in 1933 after he became chancellor of Germany and essentially gained complete authority over every aspect of running the country,” he said. “It was probably given to him by the Nazi party itself in recognition of his achievement and as a favor for bringing the party to power.” Mr Panagopoulos said that while other items belonging to Hitler, such as pieces of tableware, clothing and furniture had come up for sale in the past, the watch was unique and had “solid provenance”. Sgt Mignot, took the watch from the Berghof on May 4, 1945. His unit, the Regiment de Marche du Tchad, had stormed the building shortly before American troops, but found it recently abandoned. The watch features Hitler’s initials, the swastika and the Nazi Party’s infamous eagle (Image: Alexander Historical Auctions/Pen News) The soldiers looted whatever they could carry with Hitler’s personal belongings being among the most prized souvenirs. After bringing the watch back to France, Sergeant Mignon later sold it to his cousin, whose grandson has auctioned off the heirloom. Mr Panagopoulos was keen to stress that the auction is not intended to glorify the Nazi dictator. “We’re not offering this as a tribute to the worst man who ever lived,” he said. “It is an incredibly rare historical relic, deeply suggestive of one of the darkest periods in world history and therefore particularly important.”
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The watch face is reversible, allowing the case to rotate, protecting the face and revealing the engraving. While the components come from LeCoultre, the assembly and engraving of the device appears to have been completed by Andreas Huber, the official watch supplier to the Bavarian Royal Court. Mr Panagopoulos said Jaeger-LeCoultre had no records of the watch, while any wartime documents from Huber were lost when their factory was bombed and burned in 1944. However, there is correspondence available with the Swiss watchmaker regarding the provenance of the watch. Also included in the sale is a letter from Sergeant Mignot’s daughter certifying the authenticity of the watch. The auction runs July 28-29. Contact our news team by emailing us at [email protected] For more stories like this, check out our news page.
