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Donald Campbell's Longines Flagship Presentation Wristwatch…
Sale Title:
Auction House:
Auction Location:
Melbourne
Date:
8-Aug-2007
Lot No.
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Description:
Donald Campbell's Longines Flagship Presentation Wristwatch Circa 1960 Inscribed verso 'To Lloyd from Donald and Fred,' the round silvered dial with Arabic numerals, baton markers and date at twelve, 24 jewel automatic movement, signed case, dial and movement, within an 18ct gold case, to brown leather bands, 37 mm diameter. History: The 'Lloyd' to whom the watch is dedicated is Dr Lloyd Buley, the former Chief Medical Officer of the Australian Confederation of Motorsport (Cams) and Campbell's physician at the time of his land speed record-breaking drive at Lake Eyre, South Australia, on July 17, 1964 and his water speed record at Lake Dumbleyung, Western Australia, on December 31, 1964. A former RAAF pilot in the Second World War, Buley struck up a friendship with Campbell and his wife, Tonia Bern-Campbell, a vivacious and attractive singer. According to the documentation supplied by Lloyd Buley's wife, it was Tonia's habit to visit the race site '..looking like a million dollars . all the men would whistle and shout to her. This went on for several days until Donald told Tonia very sternly not to come out to the site anymore as she was distracting the men from their work. 'This Tonia did not like, so next day she arrived looking like a male tramp..,' wearing overalls and with a blackened face. 'This so much amused the boys that she got the nickname of 'Fred.'' From the time of its presentation the watch was kept in the Buley family until it was acquired by its current owner. The watch was fully restored at Longines in Switzerland and is accompanied by a photograph of Campbell wearing the watch, pictured in conversation with Buley at the cockpit of Campbell's Bluebird boat at the time of his Lake Dumbleyung water speed world record. This is probably the Bluebird K7 boat in which Campbell was to eventually perish on Coniston Water in 1967. The watch is also accompanied by a letter written to the vendor from Mrs Judith Buley outlining the watch's history. This fine quality watch stands as a memento of the halcyon days of international motor racing and one of its greatest exponents, Donald Campbell. The Donald Campbell Legend Donald Malcolm Campbell (1921-1967) was part of a racing tradition begun by his father, Sir Malcolm Campbell (1885-1948), which would lead him to become the world's most prolific breaker of water speed records and the only person to set land and water speed records in the same year. From 1955, Campbell set seven world speed water records, culminating in his 444.71 kph. record on Lake Dumbleyung in Western Australia on December 31, 1964. Campbell's sole land speed record was the extraordinary 648.9 kph. reached on the salt flats of Lake Eyre in South Australia, on July 17, 1964 in his wheel driven jet engined car, Bluebird CN7. The Campbell name is synonymous with the procession of Bluebird racing cars and boats first used by Sir Malcolm on his record breaking attempt in 1924 and later by Donald, until his untimely death in an accident while attempting a water speed record breaking run in Bluebird K7 on Coniston Water, Cumbria, on January 4 1967
Estimate:
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Price:
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Category:
Unclassified