Remember 2022 when Hitler ‘s Watch surfaced on an auction and was sold for $1.1 million? The media was all over the subject, people divided thinking if it’s normal to sell or buy something like this that belonged to a man who is responsible for so many horrors?
We will touch that subject later in the article. Right now I want to tell the story of the watch, how it was made, how it got into the hands of the “enemies” and the history behind the watch company that created it. Also, i will explain why it looks so much like a Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso.
The Auction for Hitler ‘s Watch
The watch was put to auction on 28th of July 2022 and it was part of a larger collection that had multiple objects from that era. An eagle from Hitler’s bedroom, some of his sketches and paintings but also a dress that belonged to Eva Braun, his wife.
Before the sale, Jewish leaders from around the world tried to stop the auction and co-signed an open letter trying to stop the selling of the items. The open letter sent by the European Jewish Association can be read here
I understand that this could be hard, but I don’t think we need to forget the history, the horrible thing that happened must never happen again, and for this we need to remember our history. But I do think that those items belong in a museum more than in a private collection.
The auction was held at the Alexander Historical Auction, based in Chesapeake City, Maryland. And the auction house defended the sale, which is also a good thing, because people can choose what they do with their belongings.
Anyway, I don’t want to stay too long on this subject, but it turns out that the buyer of the watch is actually an European Jew. I cannot verify this, so we need to believe the auction house that shared this information.
The watch was sold for $1.1 million, below the actual expectations which were somewhere around $2-$4 million. Still better than pay $1.1 million for an asteroid watch!
Hitler’s Watch
We all know the design, it’s a Reverso, but it is NOT made by Jaeger-LeCoultre. The watch is made of gold, with black dial and leather strap. It was made by Andreas Huber, a jeweler and watch seller.
The HUBER signing is at 12 o’clock position, the watch also has gold applied indexes and the design for the edges is chemin de fer. Hours and minute hands are sword shaped.
Last but not least, at 6 o’clock position we have a sub dial for seconds.
When it’s rotated, we can see some engravings like Hitler’s initials (AH), Nazi eagle emblem and some dates: April 20,1889 (Hitler’s birth), January 30, 1933(when he became Chancellor) and the date of the 1933 elections that consolidated NAzi power in Germany.
The strap is black, made from leather, and the movement is actually made by LeCoultre, but they didn’t know about it or have any records regarding the watch. Turns out that Andreas Huber commissioned the creation of different parts of the watch via sub-contractors and later assembled the watch, added his name and there it is, he is a watchmaker. This was before dropshipping was invented by the way.
I don’t think Huber did this to hide the fact that the watch was for Hitler, but he wanted to present it like it was his creation.
Neither Huber has the documents for the watch, because the factory was bombed in 1944 and everything burned down.
Movement of Hitler ‘s Watch
The movement of the watch is a 1932 Calibre 410-11U, which is made by Jaeger-LeCoultre, but even for this, they don’t have anything related to Andreas Huber in their records.
Also, the movement doesn’t say anything about JLC, but that is probably because Huber added his own name to the movement as well. I’m starting to hate this Huber guy. It’s like a modern youtuber that ships from China and acts like he invented the product.
The gold case is numbered “2951” and the white gold supporting frame is numbered “2939”, a thing that can prove that the creation was made by multiple sub-contractors.
The supporting case has a German gold hallmark and a Swiss “key” which tells us that the case was manufactured by a Swiss company or watchmaker.
Also, the watch was stored in the safe for 75 years according to the auction house.
About Andreas Huber
The company was founded in 1856 and started as a watch shop in Munich. The wife of Andreas established business relationships with important clientele of the nobility and they later became the Royal Bavarian Court Watchmaker.
But they didn’t produce any watches. Mostly they bought cases, movements, assembled them and sold them. Usually they imported watches from Switzerland and France, and they were the first to introduce the pocket alarm clock in Germany.
Also they became suppliers for the Army, and in 1936 they were the timekeepers at the Winter Olympics. In 1921 they had launched an in-house brand called Urania. They sold pocketwatches mostly.
The brand did good for themselves and became really popular in Germany. I need to mention the fact that Huber was bought by Bucherer in 2002.
Today the company does not sell watches or produce them. You can find some watches called Huber, but it has nothing to do with them.
What is the Provenance of the Hitler watch?
Turns out a French Soldier seized the watch,, on May 4, 1945. He was part of the unit that arrived ar Hitler’s Retreat in the Bavarian Mountains at Berchtesgaden.
The family of the French soldier kept the watch for decades. The name of the french soldier is Robert Mignot and he was part of the Regiment de Marche du Tchad. He discovered the watch when he was exploring the underground passages beneath the residence that was bombed.
Conclusion
It’s not an amazing story to be honest. There is no proof that Hitler actually wore the watch, from what we know he could have just thrown it somewhere in the house and forget about it.
But the fact that it was designed for him and survived so many decades, makes it a special piece. I still think it’s not worth $1.1 million. Also it should stay in a museum not a private collection.
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