Geneva: A historic wristwatch once owned by India's first president Dr Rajendra Prasad, possibly gifted to him on the first Republic Day in 1950, will be put on auction next month as part of a collection of rare timepieces by leading auction house Sotheby's.
The dial of the rare 18K pink gold Rolex Oyster Perpetual is decorated with the map of India with the date 26 January, 1950 inscribed on it. The map of India on the dial includes the corridor of land linking India to Afghanistan and Nepal.
The Geneva auction has a selection of rare timepieces dating from 1574 to today, and besides Prasad's wristwatch will also have among its showcases another Rolex owned by the first German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer.
Prasad's watch is estimated at between $222,000 and $444,000 and has never before appeared on the market, said a statement from the auction house.
"It was commissioned together with a quasi-similar watch in 1948 and delivered to the Rolex agent in Bombay in February 1949. The other watch (last sold by Sotheby's Geneva in May 2003) was presented to the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru on the occasion of the inauguration of the Republic of India.
"It was accompanied by a letter stating that the other watch appeared to have been made for Dr Prasad," it said.
A freedom fighter alongside Mahatma Gandhi, Prasad became the first president of independent India, an office he served for 12 years until 1962.
"The forthcoming Geneva sale is set to capture the imagination and interest of international collectors, with unique models such as the Patek Philippe 'Clarin Mustad 1518' and watches that belonged to key figures of the 20th century and witnessed pivotal moments in modern history," said Geoffroy Ader, Head of Sotheby's Watch Department in Europe.
The other exceptional wristwatch that goes under the hammer is engraved on the back with Konrad Adenauer's name, and is accompanied by its original leather folder and a letter dated 16 September 1955 from Rolex's founder Hans Wilsdorf to the German Chancellor.
Among the items that go on sale will also be a set of luxurious pocket watches created for the Indian market in the 19th century.
One of them is an 18K yellow gold and enamel keyless chronograph watch made in 1890, and featuring a portrait of Maharaja Jaswant Singh II, the ruler of the Jodhpur State from 1873 until 1895, the auction house said.
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