Winston Churchill’s 1946 Movado Was in Steve Forbes’s Collection for 30 Years. Now It’s Up for Sale.

Winston Churchill’s 1946 Movado Calendograf being offered by Peter Harrington Rare Books, can be yours for £150,000 ($192,500). The watch is part of a selection of first editions, manuscripts, ephemera, and personal items belonging to Winston Churchill , the former UK Prime Minister who saw Britain and the Allies through the Second World War. Aside from being a great looking vintage watch with handsome patina, it is being sold by publisher Steve Forbes , who acquired it 30 years ago, adding to the powerful provenance.

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“It’s a symbol of international respect and gratitude for Churchill after victory in the war, even if he had then lost office as prime minister,” says Pom Harrington , owner of Peter Harrington. It was given to him the day before one of his major post-war speeches, calling for a form of European union—though exactly what Churchill envisioned has been debated ever since. It’s the perfect mix of owner, presenter, time and place.”

This watch tells an interesting story about the Swiss relationship to the Allies. Apparently, the Swiss were not entirely neutral in sentiment during the Second World War, as there is a clear, strong message of gratitude in the letter that accompanied the watch, which was gifted by “the people of Switzerland.” And while Movado would go on to be known for minimalist watches, this example is indicative of the more complicated watches the house was producing in the middle of the 20th century, largely known as the golden era of Swiss watchmaking. Clearly Movado was considered an exceptional brand if it was fit for Churchill.

It is evidence of the great triple-calendar watches Movado was making in the 1940s and ’50s that resemble similar specimens from makers like Rolex , Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet and other elite brands. The cow-horn lugs and stepped gold case alone are noteworthy examples of the most celebrated designs from the era. Also, the dial, which is flaking slightly, is clearly original. “The watch is not currently working,” says Harrington. “It would be possible to make it work again, but it would be an intrusive procedure and we preferred to leave it untouched as a historical object. If a client bought it and wanted it to work, we could arrange the repair.”

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The Calendograf triple calendar Ref. 4820 is pure vintage dress watch, with an 18k yellow gold and a bi-colored silvered/beige dial. It contains the manual wound Movado caliber 475 SC, an 18,000 vph movement with day, date, month and sweep seconds, in addition to hours and minutes. It was was introduced in 1938 and manufactured until 1954. The caseback is engraved: “Quelques citoyens helvétiques à Winston Churchill témoignage d’admiration et de reconnaissance Septembre 1946” (“To Winston Churchill as testimony of the admiration and gratitude of some Swiss citizens, September 1946”). It was accompanied by a letter that says: “Dear Mr Churchill, We take the liberty of giving to you, with this letter, a gold Calendograf wristwatch as a souvenir of your visit to Zurich and as witness of our admiration and gratitude. We ardently hope that this watch will only record for you, your family, and your country, hours of happiness, joy, and prosperity.” Churchill visited Switzerland from 23 August to 20 September 1946. A letter preserved in the Churchill Archives (CHUR 2/239), sent by Beyer of Zurich (founded in 1760 and Switzerland’s oldest watch retailer), records the presentation. One of Churchill’s staff wrote a note for him on the document: “magnificent watch which tells the month & day of week as well!”

Churchill’s visit was his sixth and final trip to Switzerland, and was defined by one of his most important post-war speeches, with its clarion call of “Europe arise” and proposal for the creation of a Council of Europe: “we must build a kind of United States of Europe,” he said.

Movado made a number of variations on the triple calendar around the time this one was made, and many are still around. A quick search on Sotheby’s website for example, shows they have a certain value at auction, though they don’t match the figures fetched by the likes of Rolex and Audemars Piguet , and certainly not Patek . It’s a nice vintage watch with a manual, in-house movement for under $5,000 or $10,000, depending on the condition. Peter Harrington’s price of £150,000 for this one is not out of line considering the provenance. Sotheby’s sold a similarly dated watch once owned by Churchill, a Lemania gifted to him by the Swiss canton of Vaud, in 2017 for £162,500.

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