Important Collectors Wristwatches, P...
New York - The Fuller Building, Dec 07, 2006
LOT 331
?The Nijmegen Bridges Watch? Officine Panerai, ?Radiomir Panerai?, case No. 1010251, Ref. 3646, first generation. Made for Italian Navy Commandos, issued to German Navy ?Frogmen? circa 1943. Historically important, very fine and extremely rare, large, cushion-shaped, water-resistant, stainless steel military diver's wristwatch.
USD 45,000 - 55,000
EUR 35,000 - 43,000
Sold: USD 61,360
C. Signed Rolex, three-body, polished and brushed, screwed-down case back and crown, wire lugs. D. Black with luminous Arabic numerals and bâton indexes. Luminous blued steel "bâton" hands. M. Cal. 15 3/4''', signed Rolex, rhodium-plated, "fausses-côtes" decoration, 17 jewels, straight line lever escapement, monometallic balance, Breguet balance-spring. Dial, case and movement signed. Dim. 47 x 47 mm. Thickness: 15 mm.
| Grading System | |
|---|---|
Grade: |
|
Case: 3 |
Good |
Movement: 3-7* |
Good Oxidized Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense |
Dial: 3-6-01 |
Good Slightly oxidized HANDS Original |
Notes
Provenance:
Mr. (Sergeant) Arthur Clarence Gardiner thence by decent to his niece the present owner.
Literature::
1) Record of a Reconnaissance Regiment. A history of the 43rd Reconnaissance Regiment (The Gloucestershire Regiment) 1939-1945. Forward by General Sir Ivor Thomas KBE CB DSO MC, The White Swan Press Bristol. Page 132. 2) Experiences as a Serving officer in the 43rd Reconnaissance Regiment during the 1944/45 European Campaign. 3) This Band of Brothers, Jeremy Taylor, 1947. 4) The Sphinx and Dragon, Volume 1 page 106. 5) Warriors From the Deep, Eric Michetti, Page 95 ?The Nijmegen Bridges Watch? We would like to thank the ?Soldiers Of Gloucestershire Museum? whose research on this watch has been invaluable in the description of its history
The present lot is one of the very few Parerai from World War II with a documented provenance. The watch was ?captured? at the Nijmegen bridge during the battle of Arnhem on the 29th of September 1944, and is mentioned in the memoirs of Capt. John Groves entitled ?Experiences as a Serving Officer in the 43rd reconnaissance regiment during the 1944/45 European Campaign?, now held in the library at the Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum. The entry for the 29th of September 1944 reads as follows. ?On September 29th the German ?frogmen? whose exploits received, subsequently, some well deserved publicity, swam down the Waal from the east, which damaged the road bridge and destroyed the railway bridge at Nijmegen. This accomplished, they swam on towards the German positions at Ochten. A post of 10 Troop carrier men were supposed on the morning of the 29th to observe from the dyke bank overlooking the river near Hein, these ?frogmen? clad in their grotesque grey rubber suits flapping across the fields in front of the observation post. Our men opened fire with Brens and one of the enemy surrendered at once, while the others took to the water and swam to the far bank of the river, where Dutch resistance troops picked them up and returned them to C Squadron. Five more were captured by B Squadron men further along the dyke bank. The swimmers, fine muscular specimens of the German Navy, had recived special training in Venice and were, perhaps a little unfortunate in misjudging the distance to Ochten and their own troops. It was here that Lt-Col F. Lane-Fox relinquished his command of the regiments, to be succeeded by Major C.H. Kinnersley. Sergeant A.C. Gardiner received The Military Medal for his actions during the above. He also kept the Panerai Radiomir watch?. The above extract is interesting on two points; first it explains how a watch which was predominantly used by Italian Commandos arrived on the wrist of a German ?Frogman? as they were probably issued during their training in the canals of Venice; second it mentions that Sergeant A.C. Gardiner kept the Panerai Radiomir watch, this is most unusual as normally items ?captured? by combatants during a war as personal souvenirs are rarely mentioned. The story told by Sergeant Gardiner upon his return was that ?They had caught two German officers? the one with me couldn?t speak English so he motioned to his mouth for a cigarette, I motioned to his wrist and took the Germans watch in trade for the cigarette?.
The Battle of Arnhem (Arnheim)
The Battle for Arnhem in Holland during September 1944 was one of the most notorious battles of World War II as the Allies attempted to seize bridges over Dutch waterways in preparation for the invasion of Germany. An estimated 30,000 British, Polish and American airborne troops were parachuted and flown in gliders into the area on and around September 17 as part of Operation ?Market Garden? and tasked with securing key bridges, including that at Arnhem and a bridge at Nijmegen where the watch of the present lot was worn by a German soldier. The operation was carried out under the code name ?Market Garden?. The term ?Garden? stood for the advance of the British Second Army, while the term ?Market? stood for the airborne assaults to be carried out on several crossings to secure the route. However, the force failed to secure the tactical crossing point over the River Rhine due to strong resistance from German panzer divisions in the area. Some 10,000 Allied troops lost their lives during the operation, while the number of German deaths ranges from an estimated 4000 to 8000. Thousands of allied troops died during the battle for the bridge at Arnhem before part of the force was eventually forced to surrender on September 21 and the remainder made a full withdrawal on September 26. The battle was the last major German victory of the war and was immortalized in the 1977 film ?A Bridge Too Far?.
Mr. (Sergeant) Arthur Clarence Gardiner thence by decent to his niece the present owner.
Literature::
1) Record of a Reconnaissance Regiment. A history of the 43rd Reconnaissance Regiment (The Gloucestershire Regiment) 1939-1945. Forward by General Sir Ivor Thomas KBE CB DSO MC, The White Swan Press Bristol. Page 132. 2) Experiences as a Serving officer in the 43rd Reconnaissance Regiment during the 1944/45 European Campaign. 3) This Band of Brothers, Jeremy Taylor, 1947. 4) The Sphinx and Dragon, Volume 1 page 106. 5) Warriors From the Deep, Eric Michetti, Page 95 ?The Nijmegen Bridges Watch? We would like to thank the ?Soldiers Of Gloucestershire Museum? whose research on this watch has been invaluable in the description of its history
The present lot is one of the very few Parerai from World War II with a documented provenance. The watch was ?captured? at the Nijmegen bridge during the battle of Arnhem on the 29th of September 1944, and is mentioned in the memoirs of Capt. John Groves entitled ?Experiences as a Serving Officer in the 43rd reconnaissance regiment during the 1944/45 European Campaign?, now held in the library at the Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum. The entry for the 29th of September 1944 reads as follows. ?On September 29th the German ?frogmen? whose exploits received, subsequently, some well deserved publicity, swam down the Waal from the east, which damaged the road bridge and destroyed the railway bridge at Nijmegen. This accomplished, they swam on towards the German positions at Ochten. A post of 10 Troop carrier men were supposed on the morning of the 29th to observe from the dyke bank overlooking the river near Hein, these ?frogmen? clad in their grotesque grey rubber suits flapping across the fields in front of the observation post. Our men opened fire with Brens and one of the enemy surrendered at once, while the others took to the water and swam to the far bank of the river, where Dutch resistance troops picked them up and returned them to C Squadron. Five more were captured by B Squadron men further along the dyke bank. The swimmers, fine muscular specimens of the German Navy, had recived special training in Venice and were, perhaps a little unfortunate in misjudging the distance to Ochten and their own troops. It was here that Lt-Col F. Lane-Fox relinquished his command of the regiments, to be succeeded by Major C.H. Kinnersley. Sergeant A.C. Gardiner received The Military Medal for his actions during the above. He also kept the Panerai Radiomir watch?. The above extract is interesting on two points; first it explains how a watch which was predominantly used by Italian Commandos arrived on the wrist of a German ?Frogman? as they were probably issued during their training in the canals of Venice; second it mentions that Sergeant A.C. Gardiner kept the Panerai Radiomir watch, this is most unusual as normally items ?captured? by combatants during a war as personal souvenirs are rarely mentioned. The story told by Sergeant Gardiner upon his return was that ?They had caught two German officers? the one with me couldn?t speak English so he motioned to his mouth for a cigarette, I motioned to his wrist and took the Germans watch in trade for the cigarette?.
The Battle of Arnhem (Arnheim)
The Battle for Arnhem in Holland during September 1944 was one of the most notorious battles of World War II as the Allies attempted to seize bridges over Dutch waterways in preparation for the invasion of Germany. An estimated 30,000 British, Polish and American airborne troops were parachuted and flown in gliders into the area on and around September 17 as part of Operation ?Market Garden? and tasked with securing key bridges, including that at Arnhem and a bridge at Nijmegen where the watch of the present lot was worn by a German soldier. The operation was carried out under the code name ?Market Garden?. The term ?Garden? stood for the advance of the British Second Army, while the term ?Market? stood for the airborne assaults to be carried out on several crossings to secure the route. However, the force failed to secure the tactical crossing point over the River Rhine due to strong resistance from German panzer divisions in the area. Some 10,000 Allied troops lost their lives during the operation, while the number of German deaths ranges from an estimated 4000 to 8000. Thousands of allied troops died during the battle for the bridge at Arnhem before part of the force was eventually forced to surrender on September 21 and the remainder made a full withdrawal on September 26. The battle was the last major German victory of the war and was immortalized in the 1977 film ?A Bridge Too Far?.