The Huber watch, bearing a swastika, Nazi eagle and the initials AH, was purchased by an anonymous bidder. An open letter signed by 34 Jewish leaders called on Maryland-based Alexander Historical Auctions not to sell the wristwatch. But the auction house told German media that its aim was to preserve the story. The catalog description for the watch says it was given to the Nazi leader as a birthday present in 1933, the year he was named chancellor of Germany. He said the watch was seized as “spoils of war” when about 30 French soldiers stormed Hitler’s Berghof bunker in the Bavarian mountains. It was then resold and passed down through the generations. Despite selling for over $1m, the watch was expected to fetch between $2m and $4m (£1.6m-£3.3m). Other items up for auction included Wehrmacht toilet paper, cutlery and champagne glasses belonging to senior Nazi figures and items belonging to Hitler’s companion Eva Braun, including a dog collar for her terrier. Image: The Huber watch features a swastika, Nazi eagle and the initials AH. Photo: Alexander Historical Auctions The 34 Jewish leaders described the sale as “abhorrent” in their open letter. Rabbi Menachem Margolin, president of the Brussels-based European Jewish Union, said: “This auction, whether unwittingly or not, does two things: one, it helps those who idealize what the Nazi party stood for. “Two: Offer buyers the opportunity to treat a guest or loved one to an item belonging to a genocidal murderer and his supporters.” He added: “While it is clear that the lessons of history need to be learned – and legitimate Nazi artefacts belong in museums or places of higher education – the items you are selling clearly do not. “That they are being sold to the highest bidder, on the open market, is an indictment of our society, in which the memory, suffering and pain of others is bypassed for financial gain.” However, in comments to the German press ahead of the sale, Alexander Historical Auctions said most of their collectors kept the items in private collections or donated them to Holocaust museums around the world. “If you destroy history, there’s no proof that it happened,” said Mindy Greenstein, senior vice president of Alexander Historical Auctions. “Whether it’s a good story or a bad one, it must be preserved.”
