Our first live auction of 2023, the PHILLIPS Geneva Watch Auction: XVII, takes place on May 13 and 14, at La Réserve Genève. The auction includes more than 200 of the world's finest watches – and though we are loath to boast, we truly think it's one of the best catalogs we've ever put together. We'll be highlighting a number of the most interesting lots and stories featured in the sale over the next month, including the circa 1942 Rolex "Monoblocco" ref. 3525 seen here.
– By Chris Youé
The world of watches is an extremely broad church; encompassing scholars, professionals, avid collectors, hobbyists and an incalculable number of enthusiasts.
Every member of the community has their own particular avenues of interest, the collector who covets a Universal Genève Space Compax might be completely unmoved by a Philippe Dufour Simplicity, while the owner of the Simplicity might have never really "got" the work of Kari Voutilainen. We’re all in it for different loves, but one that certainly binds us all together is the love for a good story: Charles Vermot saving Zenith's El Primero, Felipe Massa’s RM011 surviving a High G crash, or the intrigue behind a “Clapton” 5004.
Certain stories relate to a model, some to an individual watch, but rarely do they encompass both, Paul Newman’s personal watch gave us the moniker of a family, but his watch was already elevated beyond just a story. The 1940s Rolex Chronograph ref. 3525, however, does exactly that – it has already spawned a collective wartime sobriquet, but a handful of watches have much bolder personal stories to tell.
One of the darkest appellations in the watch world, the Rolex ref. 3525 with a black dial is known as the Prisoner Of War, or “POW.” More than a mythical name from the collector communities of the early internet, these watches were offered to Alllied Officers held captive in Europe during the horrifying years of World War II, with the instruction that the bill would be settled “after the war.” While Hans Willsdorf’s staunch belief in the eventual defeat of Nazism and the intrinsic honour of those fighting for freedom is now well-documented, the lives of the people that actually fought, died, and wore these watches has been much slower to come to light, partly thanks to the typically stoic post-war demeanours of veterans, and of course, the slow passage of time.
We are honoured to bring a new story to light during the Geneva Watch Auction: XVII, with the discovery of “The Dickins 3525,” consigned by the son of the original owner.
Wing Commander Douglas Stewart Dickins was born in 1917. By 1938, he was already flying Blenheim Bombers as a Flight Liutenant in the Royal Air Force's No.18 Squadron. Unfortunately, his aircraft was shot down over the Somme River in France in the spring of 1940; his two comrades-in-arms, Cpl. Harding and Sgt. Miller, didn't survive the landing.
Official records tell us that, miraculously, the young officer Dickins survived and was eventually captured as a POW. His following years have been pieced together for us thanks to a number of surviving personal documents that have been kindly provided with the watch by the son of Wing Commander Dickins, as well as a few personal anecdotes shared with us directly by the family.
As was typical for many men of his generation that had survived the War, especially as a POW, Commander Dickins was, at best, reticent to discuss this period of his life with his family. One of the few exceptions came during a European holiday where Commander Dickins traced out the route he was forced to march with his fellow prisoners to his wife, a procession now known for its brutality and referred to as "The March."
One such document shared with the watch was Dickins’ own official Career Brief that was completed in 1960 and countersigned by Air Vice Marshall Heath (updated 1968). It describes the period between May 1940 and May 1945 somewhat succinctly as:
“Prisoner of war. “Duties included liason with underground resistance, intelligence and security, escape committee, camp entertainment. Flight Lieutenant.”
Over the course of five years, Dickins was subject to internment at camps Stalag 12A/B, Oflag IIA, and Stalag Luft III (the infamous location of "The Great Escape"), on to Balearia (where the POWs were kept under close surveillance). It was from Balearia that his final march began before liberation.
Given the approximate production date of this watch, and the fact that the Dickins ref. 3525 (186’124) fall within a serial range of just 80 numbers of other notable POW examples including those owned by Lieutenant John Francis Williams (186’045) and Flight Lieutenant Gerald Imeson (186’052), we can surmise this watch was most likely delivered to Commander Dickins while at Stalag Luft III, and it was almost certainly used in the planning of what we now know as The Great Escape of 1944.
Before his retirement in 1970 and death in 1973, D.S. Dickins had served with the RAF around the world, had been promoted from Flight Lieutenant to Wing Commander, and fathered two children before passing away in 1973.
The consignor of the watch has long suspected his father was a member of MI9, the secretive intelligence organisation assigned to liberating POWs and helping downed airman evade capture. Indeed, Commander Dickins was mentioned in several dispatches for "recognition of services whilst Prisoner of war." He was also awarded an MBE later in life, and after his passing, was found to have been holding a "Top Secret" clearance card that is included in the sale of the watch.
“My first recollection of my father's watch was whilst he was training me to sail dinghies," Commander Dickins' son, the watch's consignor, says. "I was too young to know what a Rolex was but I was impressed that he was able to submerge it with no concern, telling me that it was 'exceedingly reliable.' I can tell you that it was well used even then!”
The watch has been in the Dickins family since 1945, with the consignor having kept the watch “buried in his attic” until discovering an article about the ref. 3525 owned by Lieutenant John Francis Williams, and recognising the watch and its story. “While the sale is a bit of a wrench," he says. "I’m not a watch collector and I do understand the nostalgia around these things”.
The fresh-to-market Rolex Chronograph "Dickins" ref. 3525 "POW" is lot 196 in the Geneva Watch Auction XVII, taking place on May 13 and 14, 2023, at La Réserve Genève. The watch comes with some of Commander Dickins' original flight logs, his leather flying helmet, an RAF cap, various dress medals, and the Top Secret Clearance card.
You can learn more about and register to bid on this Rolex Oyster Chronograph ref. 3525 by visiting the online catalog for PHILLIPS Geneva Watch Auction: XVII.
About Phillips In Association With Bacs & Russo
The team of specialists at PHILLIPS Watches is dedicated to an uncompromised approach to quality, transparency, and client service. Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo holds the world record for the most successful watch auction, with its Geneva Watch Auction: XIV having realized $74.5 million in 2021. Over the course of 2021 and 2022, the company sold 100% of the watches offered, a first in the industry, resulting in the highest annual total in history across all the auction houses at $227 million.
About Chris Youé
Chris Youé has been a Watch Specialist at PHILLIPS in Association with Bacs & Russo since 2020. He's based in our London headquarters and helps oversee Phillips PERPETUAL. Prior to joining PHILLIPS, he worked as a vintage watch specialist for a number of well-known London retailers.
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