A gold watch belonging to Adolf Hitler that was looted from his mountain hideout by a French soldier in the closing moments of the World War 2 has been controversially sold for £900,000.
The timepiece, which was manufactured by Swiss luxury watchmaker LeCoultre, features the Nazi leader’s initials, the Swastika and the regime’s notorious eagle logo.
It also bears three dates – Hitler’s birthday, the date he was appointed chancellor of Germany, and the date of the Nazi party’s 1933 election victory.
It has fetched £900,000 despite being expected to be sold for around £3million at Alexander Historical Auctions in the US state of Maryland.
Bill Panagopulos, president of the auction house, said a Hitler watch had never before been offered for sale publicly.
He said: “The watch was given to Hitler probably in 1933 after he was made chancellor of Germany and essentially gained full authority over every aspect of the administration of the country.
“It was given to him most likely by the Nazi party itself in recognition of his achievement and in thanks for elevating the party to power.”
He continued: “It is absolutely unique! There has never been another Hitler watch ever offered at auction, and our example has absolutely solid provenance.
“There are plenty of Hitler relics out there and we have sold hundreds of pieces of his tableware, clothing, furniture, and so on.
“But a watch is more personal than almost anything else.”
French soldier, Sgt Robert Mignot, took the watch from the Berghof – Hitler’s mountain home in Bavaria, southern Germany – on May 4, 1945.
His unit, the Regiment de Marche du Tchad, had stormed the building slightly ahead of American troops but found it recently abandoned.
The soldiers then looted whatever they could carry in their backpacks, with Hitler’s personal effects being the most prized souvenirs.
After bringing the watch back to France, Mignot later sold it to his cousin, whose grandson has now put the heirloom up for auction.
An open letter signed by 34 Jewish leaders described the sale as "abhorrent" and called on the Nazi items to be pulled from the auction.
Rabbi Menachem Margolin, chairman of the European Jewish Association said the transaction gave "succour to those who idealise what the Nazi party stood for".
He wrote: “Whilst it is obvious that the lessons of history need to be learned - and legitimate Nazi artefacts do belong in museums or places of higher learning - the items that you are selling clearly do not.”
But Mr Panagopulos emphasised that the auction wasn’t intended to glorify the Nazi dictator.
“We aren't offering this in homage to the worst man who ever lived,” he said.
“It is instead an incredibly rare historic relic, deeply evocative of one of the darkest periods in world history and thus especially important.”
The watch itself is reversible, allowing the case to be rotated so that it faces inwards, protecting the face and revealing the engraving.
Though the components are from LeCoultre, the assembly and engraving of the device seems to have been completed by Andreas Huber – official watch supplier to the Royal Court of Bavaria.
The auctioneer said Jaeger-LeCoultre had no records pertaining to the watch, while any wartime documents from Huber were lost when their factory was bombed and burned down in 1944.
However there is correspondence available with the Swiss watchmaker concerning the provenance of the timepiece.
Meanwhile a letter from Mignot’s daughter authenticating the watch is included with the sale.
