This watch was used to orchestrate the escape in 1944 of 250 prisoners from the German Luftwaffe camp, Stalag Luft III, in Zagan in Silesia (Poland). Christie’s will auction this Rolex 3525 “Monoblocco” on June 9 that belonged to Royal Air Force Lieutenant Gerald Imeson when he was detained in the camp.
Inspired by the story of Paul Brickhill, the famous American film from 1963 The great Escape by John Sturges with Steve McQueen recounts the truthful escape of the prisoners from the camp. In total, the escape of 250 men – British, Canadian, American, Polish, Australian airmen – via tunnels really took place: a third will succeed, 50 will be executed by the Germans, the others will be released in 1945.
Christie’s, through its watch consultant Adam Victor, believes that this collector’s watch is worth “about 200,000 dollars but (that) its provenance (makes it) almost priceless”.“When this watch came to us, with the story attached to it, we were truly overwhelmed”boasts to AFP the expert of Christie’s. This watch “fantastic” in steel, black dial, luminescent indexes and hands, is “in perfect original condition” and his “story is verifiable”assures the expert.
An extraordinary anecdote: Lieutenant Imeson, a prisoner in the Stalag, had managed to order the famous watch from Rolex, which was delivered to him by the Red Cross, with deferred payment at the end of the war! “When the watch arrives at its destination, the ‘Great Escape’ project has already begun. To plan it, (officers) had to time the travel time of the guards, the time it would take them to go from the hole dug to the forest, through the tunnels”, explains Adam Victor.
According to the historical account, Gerald Imeson was to be the 172nd prisoner to escape but he never made it to the tunnel as the German soldiers realized what was happening. The British RAF airman, however, escaped execution by the Germans and kept his watch throughout the war.
“He was finally released in 1945 after an incredible epic, when the Nazis moved prisoners across Europe to try to escape the Allies (…). He returned home, to his wife and his family” and kept his watch “to his death”, welcomes Mr. Victor.