Vacheron & Constantin. A very rare, unusual and historically interesting aluminium pocket watch
Case No.336508, Movement No.497758, made circa 1954, presented in January 1955
£5,040
Auction: 21 November 2024 from 14:00 GMT
Description
Cal.439/7, 17 jewel movement with fine-regulation, adjusted to temperatures, silvered dial with applied Breguet numerals, Breguet hands, subsidiary seconds, three-piece aluminium case with reverse engraved ‘’TO THE PRESIDENT OF HAITI GENERAL PAUL EUGENE MAGLOIRE ON HIS VISIT TO THE UNITED STATES JANUARY 1955'. Case, dial and movement signed.
Dimensions
Diameter 44mm, thickness 10mm, total weight 21g.
Footnote
From the family of former President of Haiti, Paul Eugene Magloire, this watch was presented to him by the American President Dwight D. Eisenhower upon his official state visit from January 26 - February 6, 1955.
General Magloire was elected President of Haiti in 1950 and was responsible for increasing tourism and foreign investment within the country. After the devastating Hurricane Hazel hit both Haiti, causing immense damage, and then America, in 1954, the two Presidents of their respective countries opened dialogue, most likely instigating the invitation for Present Magloire and his wife, Mrs Yolette LeConte Magloire to visit America, with their official accommodation the Lincoln Bedroom at The White House. A New York ticker-tape parade from Battery to City Hall was held in their honour on January 31, 1955.
Aluminium pocket watches by Vacheron Constantin are particularly rare, with the three-piece case and movement plate made using aluminium to create a strong yet lightweight pocket watch. Conceived in 1937, it is believed less than 300 examples were manufactured and prominently issued as retirement gifts to people working in the aluminium industry until approximately 1955. The movement of this example is stamped VXN indicated it was designated for the American market.