Rolex watches regularly come up for auction, but last month was a bit special. A Rolex watch previously owned and worn by Norman Hughes Buckley was up for auction at a top London auction house.
The watch was bought new in 1960. It retains its original finish from the polished case to the dial still in excellent condition. The printing of the colours are crisp and bright as the day of manufacture and shows no sign of discolouration.
The watch sold for £48,000, which is good going, even for Rolex watches. The reason for it achieving this good price is the provenance of the watch that made it a rare and desirable example. So who was Norman Hughes Buckley?
Norman Hughes Buckley was born in 1908 and is best known as the holder of several water speed records set between 1956 and 1972 with a series of boat called Miss Windermere, and was a close personal friend of Donald Campbell. He was in fact the official timekeeper for Campbell's fatal attempt on the water speed record in 1967.
These are just the headlines of his life which are all the more remarkable when his origins are known. He was born into poverty with his father selling matches on street corners to pay for his grammar school education. He went on to become a successful solicitor in Manchester before moving to the Lake District and establishing a hotel chain still in business today. He was awarded the MBE in 1972 and died suddenly in 1974.
This sale shows that Rolex watches in exceptional condition and with a great provenance are highly sought after.