
This auction has ended. View lot details
You may also be interested in


Waltham. A very rare 14ct gold keyless wind full hunter pocket watch gifted from Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the United States, to the Captain of the British Tug Boat, Champion, in 1919Riverside Maximus, Movement No.6071142
Sold for £5,000 inc. premium
Looking for a similar item?
Our Watches specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.
Find your local specialistAsk about this lot


Client Services (UK)
Shipping (UK)
Waltham. A very rare 14ct gold keyless wind full hunter pocket watch gifted from Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the United States, to the Captain of the British Tug Boat, Champion, in 1919
23-jewel manual nickel finish and engraved movement with bi-metallic compensation balance and swan-neck regulation, white enamel dial with black painted Arabic numerals and red five minute indication, blued steel spade hands, polished hinged case with United States of America Presidential insignia engraved on the front, and with engraved commemoration on the cuvette reading, from the President of the United States to Henry William Webster, master of the Tug, Champion, in recognition of his services in effecting the rescue at sea, on January 31, 1919, of the master and crew of the American Steamship Piave, also with fitted wooden box, case, dial and movement signed 51mm.
Footnotes
'The Champion 3' was built in 1892 by A.W. Robertson & Co, Canning Town and launched the same year.
Her Captain, Henry William Webster, had already been awarded a gold watch by German government for services rendered to S/V Walkure in 1911. She was briefly renamed Top Dog during WWI until she was returned to her owners in 1919, where her name was returned to Champion. Henry William Webster was once again awarded this gold watch, by the President of the United States himself, for assistance rendered to US vessel Piave, aground on Goodwin Sands, a treacherous 10-mile-long sand bank in the English Channel, lying six miles east off Deal in Kent. More than 2,000 ships are believed to have been wrecked upon it from as far back as the 17th century, and as a result it is now marked by lightvessels and buoys.
We would like to thank 'Thames tugs.co.uk' for their help with this footnote.
























