Bonhams 1793 : Patek Philippe. A fine and interesting 18ct gold manual wind open face pocket watch, belonging to the former Italian Chief of Police, Salvatore di Stefano, together with Extract from Archives and photographic ephermera Case No.2622575, Movement No.931558, Sold June 17th, 1960

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18 Dec 2012 14:00 GMT London, New Bond Street
Fine Watches and Wristwatches
Back to auction 19810

Patek Philippe. A fine and interesting 18ct gold manual wind open face pocket watch, belonging to the former Italian Chief of Police, Salvatore di Stefano, together with Extract from Archives and photographic ephermera

Case No.2622575, Movement No.931558, Sold June 17th, 1960
18-jewel Cal.17-170 manual wind movement adjusted to heat, cold, isochronism and five positions, stamped with the Geneva quality seal, micro-regulation, silvered dial with applied gold pointed baton markers and outer five minute divisions, polished dagger hands, brushed and polished case with snap on back, square bow held by two gold screws, together with Extract from Archives, photographic ephemera, including a signed portrait photograph of J.F.Kennnedy and facsimile signed portrait of the Italian Prime Minister, Aldo Moro, case, dial and movement signed
44mm.

Sold for £5,625 inc. premium

Footnotes

Salvatore di Stefano worked for the Italian Police force in the 1960's and in that time, guarded several important Italian figures such as Pope Paul VI and the ill-fated Aldo Moro. According to the owner's family, very shortly after Di Stefano retired, on the morning of 16 March 1978, the car of Aldo Moro, Italian prime minister and president of Christian Democracy, Italy's majority party at the time, was assaulted by the 'Brigate Rosse', or BR, a terrorist group, on the Via Fani in Rome. Firing automatic weapons, the terrorist killed Moro's bodyguards (two Carabinieri in the car which presumably housed the politician and three policemen in the following car) and kidnapped him.

A letter is is believed to have been delivered to the terrorists from Pope Paul VI aswell a letter to Mr Moro from his wife but it was to no avail. On 9 May 1978, Moro's corpse was found in the trunk of a Renault 4 in Via Caetani after 55 days of imprisonment.

Also included in this lot is a facsimile of a signed document from President Kennedy, as thanks for his help when he visited Italy in 1963. Pope Paul VI had just celebrated his coronation.

Category: Clocks and Watches / Watches

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