Few watch collectors have ever led as charmed an existence as Winston Churchill. Many of the legendary British prime minister’s timepieces were given to him as gifts by fawning supporters—including an 18-karat gold pocket watch, a Louis Cottier-designed Agassiz and Co. specimen with a painterly enamel dial, and gold Lemania Chronograph, all of which have come up for auction in recent years. One key admirer was none other than Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf, who gave Churchill a gold Datejust—the Crown’s 100,000th chronometer. Now, another watch from Churchill’s personal collection is up for sale.
Like the others, this watch was also a gift to Churchill. The piece is a Movado Calendograph in gold, up for sale for £150,000. Churchill was clearly a fan of the precious metal. When Wilsdorf offered up the Datejust, Churchill didn’t just happily accept—he requested it come in rose gold. While Churchill’s other watches were presents from brand founders and folks like Herbert Henry Asquith, who would eventually become prime minister himself, this Movado came from the citizens of Switzerland.
Churchill was visiting Switzerland in the summer of 1946 when he received this watch. The presentation, recorded by the Zurich-based retailer Beyer, is filled with all kinds of historical tidbits that should delight watch collectors and dads everywhere. The watch was sent to Zurich’s Hôtel Dolder Grand, where Churchill was staying, with an accompanying note: “Dear Mr Churchill, We take the liberty of giving to you, with this letter, a gold Calendograf wristwatch as a souvenir of your visit to Zurich and as witness of our admiration and gratitude. We ardently hope that this watch will only record for you, your family, and your country, hours of happiness, joy, and prosperity.” Even cooler is that a member of Churchill’s staff left a small note on the letter: “magnificent watch which tells the month & day of week as well!"
When it comes to Churchill’s collection, watches and history are often intertwined. The aforementioned piece from Louis Cottier was part of a set of pocket watches that went to leaders of the Allied powers who commanded forces in World War II: Churchill, French president Charles de Gaulle, the Soviet revolutionary Joseph Stalin, and US president Harry Truman. Churchill’s War Rooms included a clock on the wall that the bunker-turned-museum now sells in the gift shop. It was an important enough symbol that, at the end of the war, one worker put a square on the clock around the letter ‘V,’ for victory.
Churchill was a true watch lover. He is best known for using a Breguet pocketwatch that he nicknamed “The Turnip.” There aren’t any pictures of him wearing the Movado that’s now up for sale, but it does bear scuffed-up marks that Churchill hopefully made himself. This Movado also carries other pieces of historic significance. Whoever buys it might spend more time looking at the watch’s caseback, engraved with the phrase "To Winston Churchill as testimony of the admiration and gratitude of some Swiss citizens, September 1946."
In addition to its place in world history, the Calendograf was a deeply important line for Movado. Andy Warhol was also the proud owner of a Calendograf. This particular reference—with its day of the week, date, and month displays—would have been useful for someone of Churchill’s stature. Even the aesthetic details seem tied up in history, even if they’re merely coincidental: Churchill famously traveled in a train called the Red Arrow, and what do we see on the date hand? A red arrow!
Funnily enough, Churchill’s Movado will not come up for auction. It is simply available for purchase at Peter Harrington Rare Books in London, which is also selling several other Churchillian artifacts, like cute little plates, telegrams, and his cigars. If you’re interested in this watch and have £150,000 to spare, you can just “Add to Basket” today.
