168
Tornek-Rayville
TR-900
Tornek-Rayville，極度罕有重要，精鋼軍用潛水腕錶，備轉動式錶圈、濕度顯示，特為美軍製造。附來源照片、原藏家信函、兩枚備用手錶
估價
$50,000 - 100,000
成交價
$88,200
拍品詳情
製造商
Tornek-Rayville
年份
Circa 1965
錶殼號碼
1’031
型號名稱
TR-900
材料
Stainless steel
機芯
Automatic, cal. AS 1361, 17 jewels
錶帶/ 錶鏈
Nylon NATO
尺寸
41mm Diameter
簽名
Dial and movement signed Tornek-Rayville.
配件
Accompanied by printed correspondence detailing the original sale between the original owner and first purchaser giving context to the provenance, image of original owner wearing the timepiece in his U.S. Marines uniform, a Bulova military wristwatch issued to the original owner at the same time as the TR-900, a Zodiac Sea Wolf wristwatch purchased on base during his service. Further accompanied by the original owner’s Bowie knife, hundreds of original photographs documenting his time in Vietnam, a Zodiac presentation box, and a USB key with digital copies of all images.
專家
完整圖錄內容
圖錄文章
Today, the TR-900 is one of the rarest and most sought-after military watches for collectors. Delivered in two batches, one in late 1964 and the other in mid-1966, a total of about 1,000 watches conforming to U.S. military specification MIL-W-22176A were provided by Blancpain through their American subsidiary, Tornek-Rayville. Due to the 1933 "Buy American Act", the U.S. Navy could not directly purchase Swiss Blancpain watches. Allen V. Tornek, of the Allen V. Tornek Co. based in New York City, was the importer of Blancpain and won a bid to be the American supplier of Blancpain for the U.S. Navy.
A few years later, Alan Tornek proposed a new offer of a “Tornek Rayville”-branded batch of Blancpain-supplied watches to the US Navy. The first batch of watches delivered were given to underwater explosive specialists and naval divers, which would have included Marines, and the next batch was exclusively for the Navy. Cautiously, Tornek Rayville only delivered a very small amount, around 1,000, which proved to be a safe bet as the US Navy rejected the project in the long term due to its cost and their growing focus on the conflict in Vietnam.
Phillips is honored to be entrusted with the sale of another absolutely exceptional TR-900, with impeccable military provenance. The watch was originally sold to a prominent collector of military wristwatches in 2012 by the original owner, a retired U.S. Marine with twenty-one years of service. He had been issued the TR-900 and a Bulova wristwatch during his time in the Marines, the former which he documents as having served him faithfully with no problems during his time in the service. Photographs taken by the original owner accompany the watch, and show him on active duty in Da Nang and Chu Lai, among other places. All photos were taken between 1968 and 1971, when the war in Vietnam was at its highest point, and offer a window into life on the ground as a soldier during the Vietnam War. The original owner moved to the American South after his retirement from the Marines and worked in IT management until he passed away in 2020. During his service, he also purchased a Zodiac Sea Wolf in 1962, included with this lot, which still retains the original box and price tag of $110.
Such watches are not just collectible for their own sake, but for the sake of the history which binds them inexorably with an important moment in time. It is just, therefore, that this watch with all of its documentation and provenance, should be offered to the public to learn from, enjoy, and if possible, add to a monumental collection of military wristwatches.
A few years later, Alan Tornek proposed a new offer of a “Tornek Rayville”-branded batch of Blancpain-supplied watches to the US Navy. The first batch of watches delivered were given to underwater explosive specialists and naval divers, which would have included Marines, and the next batch was exclusively for the Navy. Cautiously, Tornek Rayville only delivered a very small amount, around 1,000, which proved to be a safe bet as the US Navy rejected the project in the long term due to its cost and their growing focus on the conflict in Vietnam.
Phillips is honored to be entrusted with the sale of another absolutely exceptional TR-900, with impeccable military provenance. The watch was originally sold to a prominent collector of military wristwatches in 2012 by the original owner, a retired U.S. Marine with twenty-one years of service. He had been issued the TR-900 and a Bulova wristwatch during his time in the Marines, the former which he documents as having served him faithfully with no problems during his time in the service. Photographs taken by the original owner accompany the watch, and show him on active duty in Da Nang and Chu Lai, among other places. All photos were taken between 1968 and 1971, when the war in Vietnam was at its highest point, and offer a window into life on the ground as a soldier during the Vietnam War. The original owner moved to the American South after his retirement from the Marines and worked in IT management until he passed away in 2020. During his service, he also purchased a Zodiac Sea Wolf in 1962, included with this lot, which still retains the original box and price tag of $110.
Such watches are not just collectible for their own sake, but for the sake of the history which binds them inexorably with an important moment in time. It is just, therefore, that this watch with all of its documentation and provenance, should be offered to the public to learn from, enjoy, and if possible, add to a monumental collection of military wristwatches.