News Wristwatch melted in Hiroshima blast auctioned off for $31k

[thomas]

A watch melted during the 6 August 1945 bombing of Hiroshima has sold for more than USD 31,000 at auction. The watch is frozen in time at the moment of the detonation of an atomic bomb over the Japanese city — 8:15 a.m. — during the closing days of World War ll, according to Boston-based RR Auction. The winning bid in the auction that ended Thursday was USD 31,113. The artefact was recovered from the ruins of Hiroshima and offered a glimpse into the immense destruction of the first atomic bomb detonated over a city. The winning bidder opted to remain anonymous.

The small brass-tone watch, a rare survivor from the blast zone, was auctioned alongside other historically significant items, according to the auction house. Despite the cloudiness of the crystal caused by the blast, the watch's hands remain halted at 8:15 a.m. — the moment when the B-29 Enola Gay dropped the "Little Boy" atomic bomb. The auction house said that according to the item's consignor, a British soldier retrieved the wristwatch from the city's ruins while on a mission to provide emergency supplies and assess post-conflict reconstruction needs at the Prefectural Promotion Hall in Hiroshima.

A watch that melted during the atomic blast over Hiroshima, Japan, sells for more than $31,000

A watch melted during the Aug. 6, 1945, bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, sold at auction Thursday for more than $31,000.

apnews.com

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

When I see this watch, all I can think of is the person who was wearing it at the time. I wouldn't want to own this watch; it would haunt me every moment I had it.

 

[thomas]

When I see this watch, all I can think of is the person who was wearing it at the time. I wouldn't want to own this watch; it would haunt me every moment I had it.

I agree. I should have been donated to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

I should have been donated to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.

Now that's real dedication!