Adolf Hitler’s Watch to be Sold at Auction

A Maryland auction company Alexander Historical Auctions, a specialist in military objects and antiques has announced they will be auctioning off a watch once owned by the most notorious war criminal of all time, Adolf Hitler. The watch, custom-made by German watchmaker Huber features a movement by LeCoultre and appears to be a customized version of the Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso which was first introduced in 1931. The watch was discovered by a French soldier in the ruins of Hitler’s vacation retreat at Berchtesgaden and has remained in his family ever since. 

On May 4, 1945, about thirty French soldiers belonging to the Regiment de Marche du Tchad, a unit of the 2nd Armored Division commanded by the brilliant General Philippe Leclerc, stormed the Berghof, barely ahead of the American troops of the 3rd Armored Division. Among the members of this unit was Sergeant Robert Mignot who with his comrades quickly gained access to Hitler’s secondary residence and the Eagle’s Nest, both abandoned by all the occupants and guards. They also discovered the vast system of tunnels and bunkers under the house. The watch remained in the soldier’s family for decades until it was sold to another family member in the 1980s.

Beyond simply being a watch owned by the monstrous dictator, this watch is unique as it was gifted to Adolf Hitler in 1933 by Nazi Party members. The reversible watch is engraved with a 1933 Nazi eagle and swastika, along with the dates of Hitler’s birth, his appointment as Chancellor, and the date of elections in Germany which gave Hitler complete control of the country. No other watch owned by Hitler has ever come to market and it is expected that this watch will bring at least $2 million dollars at auction. 

The watch was commissioned by the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterparte and assembled and engraved by the highly-respected German watch firm Andreas Huber, in Munich. The company was founded in 1856 and by 1912 Huber had become the official watch supplier to the Royal Court of Bavaria. Huber quickly became a must-have watch brand for all German officers. As such, the brand won the distinction of ‘the Royal watch with a luminous dial for military campaigns’. From 1913 to 1920, on the strength of its success, the brand opened several other boutiques in Berlin, Dusseldorf, and Nuremberg. The brand’s reputation grew over the years as it supplied watches to public transport systems, various racing events, and served as the official timer of the 1936 Winter Olympics. 

Jaeger-LeCoultre advises it has no production records regarding this watch. No wartime documents can be obtained from Andreas Huber, as their factory was bombed and subsequently burned down during World War II.