92nd Auction
2015/11/14
Lot 262
A. Lange & Söhne Glashütte i/SA, Movement No. 87436, Case No. 93801, Cal. 43, 52 mm, 101 g, circa 1938
An important Glashuette hunting case pocket watch, particularly in the context of recent German history - sold to the company A. Luenser in Berlin on July 22, 1938, for the sum of 710 reichsmark - produced in quality standard 1A - with Lange extract from the archives and a document signed by the widow of the recipient, confirming that the watch was a gift presented by Hitler
Case: 14k gold, polished, à goutte, case design "Royal", gold dome, inner lid with dedication engraving: "Hptm. Engel, Weihnachten 1938, Adolf Hitler". Dial: gilt, Arabic numerals, auxiliary seconds, signed, blued Breguet hands. Movm.: 3/4 plate movement, frosted, gilt, signed, screwed gold chatons, 20 jewels, gold screw compensation balance, hand-engraved balance cock, index spring fine adjusting device, gold lever, chatoned diamond endstone on balance.
This watch is illustrated and described in detail in "Klassik Uhren" edition 6/2005, "Die Hitler Uhren" ("The Hitler watches") by Waldemar Becker and Christian Pfeiffer-Belli, Munich 2005, p. 20ff.
This timekeeper was a christmas present from Adolf Hitler to Gerhard Engel in 1938; at the time Engel was adjutant to the army and Hitler’s liaison officer.
Gerhard Engel (1906-1976) was a highly decorated Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded several divisions after serving as an adjutant to Adolf Hitler. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.
Gerhard Engel joined the Prussian military in October 1925, in the 5th Prussian Infantry Regiment. In 1930, he received his lieutenant promotion and was put in charge of two infantry companies in Dresden. From 1933 to 1937, Engel served as an adjutant to the battalion commander of Rostock, where he was promoted to captain. In 1938, while working as commander of the 11th Infantry Regiment, he was transferred and served as adjutant to the Commander-in-Chief of the Army. In 1941, he was promoted to major, and appointed an army adjutant to Hitler.
In 1943, Engel was promoted to lieutenant colonel, and, by his own request, transferred to the Western Front. He would go on to be an extremely experienced soldier, serving in notable battles like the Battle of Aachen, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, the Battle of the Bulge, and the Battle of Halbe. In May 1944, he was promoted to major general, and would spend the rest of the war commanding infantry divisions. With the unconditional surrender of Germany, he was held in American captivity and released in December 1947.
After his release, Engel was manager of a sugar factory in Nörvenich, and then of a machine factory in Düsseldorf. From April 1958 to December 1976, he worked as State Commissioner of the Society for Military Customer in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerhard_Engel, as of 09/26/2015.
An important Glashuette hunting case pocket watch, particularly in the context of recent German history - sold to the company A. Luenser in Berlin on July 22, 1938, for the sum of 710 reichsmark - produced in quality standard 1A - with Lange extract from the archives and a document signed by the widow of the recipient, confirming that the watch was a gift presented by Hitler
Case: 14k gold, polished, à goutte, case design "Royal", gold dome, inner lid with dedication engraving: "Hptm. Engel, Weihnachten 1938, Adolf Hitler". Dial: gilt, Arabic numerals, auxiliary seconds, signed, blued Breguet hands. Movm.: 3/4 plate movement, frosted, gilt, signed, screwed gold chatons, 20 jewels, gold screw compensation balance, hand-engraved balance cock, index spring fine adjusting device, gold lever, chatoned diamond endstone on balance.
This watch is illustrated and described in detail in "Klassik Uhren" edition 6/2005, "Die Hitler Uhren" ("The Hitler watches") by Waldemar Becker and Christian Pfeiffer-Belli, Munich 2005, p. 20ff.
This timekeeper was a christmas present from Adolf Hitler to Gerhard Engel in 1938; at the time Engel was adjutant to the army and Hitler’s liaison officer.
Gerhard Engel (1906-1976) was a highly decorated Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded several divisions after serving as an adjutant to Adolf Hitler. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.
Gerhard Engel joined the Prussian military in October 1925, in the 5th Prussian Infantry Regiment. In 1930, he received his lieutenant promotion and was put in charge of two infantry companies in Dresden. From 1933 to 1937, Engel served as an adjutant to the battalion commander of Rostock, where he was promoted to captain. In 1938, while working as commander of the 11th Infantry Regiment, he was transferred and served as adjutant to the Commander-in-Chief of the Army. In 1941, he was promoted to major, and appointed an army adjutant to Hitler.
In 1943, Engel was promoted to lieutenant colonel, and, by his own request, transferred to the Western Front. He would go on to be an extremely experienced soldier, serving in notable battles like the Battle of Aachen, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, the Battle of the Bulge, and the Battle of Halbe. In May 1944, he was promoted to major general, and would spend the rest of the war commanding infantry divisions. With the unconditional surrender of Germany, he was held in American captivity and released in December 1947.
After his release, Engel was manager of a sugar factory in Nörvenich, and then of a machine factory in Düsseldorf. From April 1958 to December 1976, he worked as State Commissioner of the Society for Military Customer in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerhard_Engel, as of 09/26/2015.
Sold
estimated
9.000—15.000 €
Price realized
26.100 €