Important Collectors' Wristwatches, P...
New York, Jun 11, 2009
LOT 250
Unique and Historically Important Wristwatch Gifted to and Worn by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Triple Date Movado, case No. T249743, Ref. 44776, retailed by Tiffany & Co. Made in 1944. Fine 14K yellow gold wristwatch with triple date calendar. Accompanied by correspondence authenticating the watch.
USD 50,000 - 70,000
EUR 38,000 - 53,000 / CHF 57,000 - 80,000
C. Three-body, solid, polished, lapidated triangular lugs, pushers on the band, case back engraved: Franklin Delano Roosevelt with Loyalty, Respect and Affection ? January 30, 1945. D. Two-tone silver with luminous Arabic numerals, subsidiary guilloche seconds dial, outer graduation for the days of the month in blue Arabic numerals, apertures for the days of the week and the months. Luminous blued steel baton hands. M. Cal. 10''', rhodium-plated, 17 jewels, straight line lever escapement, monometallic balance, self-compensating Breguet balance spring. Case and movement signed. Dial signed Tiffany & Co., case also signed ?Wadsworth.? Diam. 32 mm. Thickness 9 mm.
| Grading System | |
|---|---|
Grade: |
|
Case: 3 |
Good |
Movement: 3* |
Good Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense |
Dial: 3-01 |
Good HANDS Original |
Notes
The 32nd President of the United States, from 1933 ? 1945, Franklin D. Roosevelt was a central figure of the 20th century. Elected during a time of worldwide economic crisis, Roosevelt imparted hope and confidence to the badly shaken American people. In his inaugural address, he spoke the famous words "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." He married Eleanor Roosevelt, who was herself to become a remarkable public figure, in 1905. Like his cousin President Theodore Roosevelt, whom he greatly admired, FDR entered public service through politics. He was elected to the New York Senate in 1910 and was the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 1920.
In 1928 Roosevelt became Governor of New York. In 1921, at the age of 39, he contracted poliomyelitis and never regained the use of his legs. The illness was to have a profound impact on him, strengthening his empathy and resolve. He was elected President in November 1932, at the height of the Great Depression. To provide relief to the unemployed and bring some measure of economic recovery, Roosevelt created the ?New Deal?, a program of federally-supported public works, social programs, and sweeping reforms.
Though sentiment in America at the time was strongly anti-interventionist, at the onset of the Second World War Roosevelt sought to aid nations that were threatened or attacked. In 1940, when France fell and England came under siege, he began a secret correspondence with Winston Churchill to provide England with all possible support short of actual military involvement. The US finally entered the war after the attack of Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941.
Convinced that US leadership was essential to future world peace, Roosevelt was instrumental in the founding of the United Nations organization.
On April 12, 1945, Franklin D. Roosevelt died of a cerebral hemorrhage.
A president in extraordinarily trying times, and the only American president to have been elected to four terms, Roosevelt was remarkable in his ability to transmit his strength and resolve to others. As his wife Eleanor Roosevelt recalled, "I never heard him say there was a problem that he thought it was impossible for human beings to solve."