A Rolex watch worn by a British prisoner during the "Great Escape" from the Nazi POW camp Stalag Luft III was sold for $189,000 in New York. The prisoner, Gerald Empson, wore the watch on the night of March 24, 1944, during the daring escape operation that inspired the 1963 film starring Steve McQueen.
According to the auction house Christie’s, Empson requested the watch from Rolex in Switzerland, and it was shipped via the Red Cross to the labor camp near the modern Polish town of Zagan. They added that the steel watch with a black dial and hands "was useful in planning and executing" their attempts to survive. The house noted that they believe Empson's watch helped in timing how long the prisoners would take to crawl through the tunnels used for the breakout, as well as timing the guard patrols.
Empson wore an Oyster Chronograph while waiting in line for the 172nd spot to escape, according to Christie’s. Of the 200 prisoners who participated in the plan, 76 escaped temporarily, but Empson was not among them. All but three of the men were captured, and 50 were executed. Empson was liberated from another POW camp at the end of the war in 1945. He wore the watch until his death in 2003 at the age of 85. The watch was first sold at public auction in Britain in 2013 and was sold along with several other items, including a Royal Air Force whistle and a membership card for the Goldfish Club, which is dedicated to pilots and aircrew who ditch in the sea and survive.
