An anonymous buyer purchased a $1.1 million Huber watch allegedly owned by Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. Bidding took place at the Alexander historical auction in Maryland (USA).
It is believed that this watch was given to Hitler in 1933 when he became Chancellor of Germany. At least that’s what the catalog says. They are engraved with the initials AH, the swastika and the German imperial eagle, tells Air Force. The watch was made by the Swiss company LeCoulture. Three dates are indicated on the clock: Hitler’s birthday, his appointment as Chancellor of Germany, the day the Nazi Party won the election in 1933.
Jewish leaders condemned the event, but the auction house, which has sold Nazi memorabilia in the past, told German media that its main goal is to preserve history.
According to reports, the watch was taken as a souvenir in May 1945, when 30 French soldiers stormed the Berghof, the Fuhrer’s mountain hideout. The watch was then allegedly resold and has been passed down from generation to generation to this day.
Among other items at the auction were autographed photographs of Nazi officials, the dress of Hitler’s wife Eva Braun, a yellow fabric Star of David with the word “Judas” (German for “Jew”). During the Holocaust, the Nazis forced Jews to wear yellow insignia as armbands or badges, with the intention of isolating them.
Thirty-four Jewish leaders signed open letter, where they called the auction “disgusting” and called for Nazi items to be removed from the auction. Rabbi Menachem Margolin, chairman of the European Jewish Association, said the deal brought “help to those who idealize what the Nazi Party stood for”:
“While it is clear that the lessons of history need to be learned – and legitimate Nazi artifacts do belong to museums or institutions of higher learning – the items you sell clearly do not.”
Speaking to media ahead of the sale, Alexander Historical Auctions said their goal is to preserve history and that most of the items sold are in private collections or donated to Holocaust museums. Senior Vice President Mindy Greenstein said:
“History, good or bad, must be preserved. If you destroy history, there will be no evidence that it was.”
The documents provided by the auction house said that he could not provide conclusive evidence that Hitler actually wore this watch. However, the independent appraiser concluded that the watch “in all likelihood” belonged to him.
Deutsche Welle notes that despite the fact that the watch was sold for more than $1 million, the price did not match the auction house’s estimate of $2 million to $4 million.
Adolf Hitler led Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, orchestrating the murder of 11 million people, six million of whom were killed for being Jews.
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