06/07/2024 General News
In the auction room, rarity is something which can bring out enthusiastic bidders; when that scarcity is combined with a compelling human story, the saleroom can really come alive, writes Sam Hicks.
In Keys’ Summer Fine Sale, which takes place at the end of this month, one lot delivers both of these sought-after qualities in spades. The combination of an extremely rare Rolex watch, wartime bravery and a very personal story is already attracting the interest of collectors all over the world.
Douglas Stuart Malcolm Mackenzie was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1933, and had risen to the rank of Captain by the outbreak of war in 1939. He served with the 51st Division of British Expeditionary Force in France; in June 1940, attached to a French cavalry regiment during the final defence of St. Valery, he was taken prisoner, spending the rest of the War in various POW camps in Germany.
It is not widely known that prisoners of war were able to purchase items via the Red Cross, and this included what might be regarded as luxuries. Captain Mackenzie thus ordered a Rolex watch from the Swiss manufacturer, and paid 315 Swiss francs (about £18 at the time, equivalent to just over £1,000 in today’s money).
The Rolex 3525 was offered to officers in POW camps, with delivery via the Swiss Red Cross. The watch features a stainless steel oyster case, screw down crown and a manually would Valioux movement. Very few were actually made – no more than a few hundred – and hence they are both extremely rare and very collectable today.
Wealthy senior officers could purchase a version made from 18ct gold for 935 Swiss francs (around £3,000 in today’s money)! Rolex did not require immediate payment; officers were trusted to settle their account once the war was over.
The quality of these watches is evidenced by the fact that Capt Mackenzie’s watch is still going strong. It will go under the hammer in Keys’ Summer Fine Sale later this month, along with his medals, prisoner of war dog tags and his war diaries, which make fascinating reading.
These include German newspaper clippings translated by Mackenzie, with notable events such as the German perspective of D-Day from newspapers dated 7th June 1944.
One of the diaries covers in depth the events leading up to and including his liberation. On Saturday 14th April 1945, while marching to Moosburg, their column was attacked by two American P-51 aircraft having mistaken the column for German troops. They took cover in a quarry whilst the aircraft made multiple passes resulting in a number of men killed and wounded.
Mackenzie then goes on to describe his liberation, writing about heavy fighting and shelling in the town a few miles away from the camp and stray bullets flying overhead and into the camp, causing them to hide in their huts and take cover in the air raid trenches.
After the war, Douglas Mackenzie continued serving in the British army as a professional soldier serving in the ‘Near East’ during the Suez crisis in 1956 and subsequently in Germany. During his career he was gazetted three times and mentioned in dispatches in October 1945 for gallant and distinguished service in the field.
This fascinating collection, including the very rare Rolex chronograph, goes under the hammer with a pre-sale estimate of £15,000-£20,000, a reflection of both the scarcity of the watch, and the completeness of the documentation relating its owner’s remarkable story.
Keys’ Summer Fine Sale takes place on Wednesday 24th, Thursday 25th and Friday 26th July. For more details visit www.keysauctions.co.uk.