Crossing the Floor
Winston Churchill leaves the Conservative benches for the Liberals, taking his seat on the same side of the House as H. H. Asquith.
CASE STUDY · DAWSONS AUCTIONEERS · 2024
A Gift of Gratitude: Winston Churchill's 1905 Pocket Watch
A century-old political keepsake. One quiet afternoon under strict security. A £76,000 hammer price.
THE WATCH, HOUR BY HOURScroll, or tap a marker on the dial
May 1904
INSIDE THE CASETo Winston with gratitudeH. H. Asquith, Xmas 1905
A Gift of Gratitude
Asquith gives Churchill an 18-carat gold minute repeater, retailed by Sir John Bennett, with a private message engraved inside the case.
The Watch Resurfaces
120 years after Churchill crossed the floor, the watch arrives at Dawsons. Its gold and movement are worth £6,000 to £8,000. The estimate is set at £20,000 to £30,000, because the real value is the story.
The Film
Dawsons bring me in to film it under close security in a short window. Low, directional light across the engraving. Tight macro on the enamel dial and blued steel hand. A close, warm look for collectors who cannot be in the room.
The Hammer Falls
The room, the phone lines and online bidders across the US, Europe and Asia fight it out. Keep scrolling to open the case, then try your own luck in the room below.
TAKE A SEAT IN THE ROOM
Can you outbid the room?
Bidding opens at £20,000. You are up against the room, the phones and buyers online. How far would you go?
LOT 1 · CHURCHILL POCKET WATCH
£20,000
Waiting for the first bid
BIDS
- No bids yet
The Story
In May 2024, 120 years to the month after Sir Winston Churchill crossed the floor of the House of Commons, an 18-carat gold pocket watch surfaced for auction. Retailed by Sir John Bennett and gifted to Churchill at Christmas 1905 by future Prime Minister H. H. Asquith, the piece carried a pre-sale estimate of £20,000 to £30,000, despite its standalone gold and movement value sitting closer to £6,000 to £8,000. Its true value lived entirely in its history. Dawsons brought me in to make a short film ahead of the sale, giving collectors around the world a close look at the craftsmanship and provenance before bidding opened.
I let the specialist hold the watch. Hands give scale and trust that a turntable never can.To Winston with gratitude H. H. Asquith Xmas 1905
Engraved inside the case
On Set
Shooting high-value heritage pieces comes with tight rules. Working under close security, I had a small window to capture the watch without ever rushing the frame. Heritage objects often feel cold on camera, like something trapped behind museum glass. I wanted the opposite: something close, warm, and human.
- Grazing the gold.I kept the lighting low and directional, letting it catch the hand-engraved Churchill Coat of Arms on the outer cover before opening up to reveal the private message tucked inside: "To Winston with gratitude H. H. Asquith Xmas 1905".
- Showing the craft.Rather than treating it as a static prop, I framed tight macro details of the Swiss minute-repeater case, white enamel dial, gold spade hands, and blued steel seconds hand, highlighting the mechanical pedigree behind the piece.
- Room to breathe.Pairing specialist insight with unhurried close-ups gave remote buyers the confidence of viewing the watch in person.
A single practical lamp as the key. It feels like a private study, not a studio.The Result
By the time the auction went live on 23 May 2024, the film had travelled far beyond regular catalogue subscribers.
- Sold for £76,000.After a tense bidding battle across the room, phone lines, and online bidders from the US, Europe, and Asia, the watch went to a UK private collector for £76,000, more than 2.5 times its top estimate.
- Broadcast and global press.Footage from the film was broadcast on US television, and the sale was covered by WatchPro and Antique Collecting, turning a local lot into an international headline.
- Part two.Following the sale, I cut a follow-up film pairing the watch's backstory with the live auction room drama as the hammer came down.
Held on the hammer before it falls. The tension is in the wait.
01
£20–30kPre-Sale EstimateWhat the specialists expected, for a watch whose gold and movement alone were worth £6k to £8k.02
£76,000Final Hammer Price · 23 May 2024Fought over by the room, the phone lines and online bidders across the US, Europe and Asia.SOLD TO A UK PRIVATE COLLECTOR03
2.5xOver Top EstimateThe history, told well, carried the price far past the top estimate.PRESS
Evidence Archive
The films, the official releases and the coverage, all in one place.
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