DESCRIPTION:
WW - Vacheron & Constantin 1500 Piso gold coin watch, manual wind, 35mm x 42mm to lug tips, 18mm lug width, original 21K gold and 18K yellow gold coin edge case with hidden dial, raised button on case side reveals time, inside cover presentation reads "President F. E. Marcos from Gretchen and Danding," integrated 18K gold mesh bracelet with Vacheron signed buckle, original champagne dial with black painted baton indices, 17J cal 1003/1, Genève sealed movement, s#683151, triple signed. A highly unusual watch with an incredibly dark past and likely a one-off commissioned piece. This watch was gifted by Danding Cojuangco and his wife to then "President/Dictator" of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos. Danding was a billionaire who was part of Marcos' inner circle "The Rolex 12" during the martial law years from 1972 to 1981. This watch was allegedly gifted to an Air Force Sergeant Timothy W. Metcalf who assisted in the airlift evacuation of Marcos when he fled the Philippines. Included is a redacted printout of the article that was included with the watch. A non-redacted copy in the May 15th, 1986 issue of The Pantograph of Bloomington, Illinois can be seen in greater detail on www.newspapers.com website if one has a membership to this site. We include a non-redacted copy with the watch, and it is shown in the last photograph. Gross weight of assembled watch 65.7 dwt (102.2 g).
CONDITION:
Mvt: Running, flawless cosmetic mvt condition overall, no oxide; flawless dial; mint blued steel hands; lightly polished case shows little wear, several light dents on front cover, light tarnish on several areas of the bracelet; crown shows hardly any wear; good glass crystal.
ESTIMATE:
$6000
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$10000
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