Winston Churchill's Watches: The Breguet Turnip and the Swiss Gifts
Winston Churchill is better remembered for his waistcoat chain than for a wristwatch. Sources describe a man who preferred a pocket watch, and the best-documented piece is a Breguet minute-repeating chronograph the family called “The Turnip” . His other known watches mostly arrived as gifts, above all from Swiss donors after the Second World War, and several have since been sold at auction. This guide lists only watches with a source, labels how well each one is documented, and says plainly where accounts conflict.
The short answer
The Breguet No. 765 is confirmed by Breguet's own archive pages and the International Churchill Society. Two Swiss gifts are documented by auction lots: the Cottier/Agassiz World Time “Victory Watch” (GBP 485,000, September 2015) and a Lemania chronograph from the Canton of Vaud (GBP 162,500, April 2017). We found no source for an Omega owned by Churchill, and none for the Patek Philippe 1518 that a recent TV series tied to him.
Who wears what: quick reference
| Character (actor) | Watches |
|---|---|
| The pocket watch(Breguet No. 765) | Breguet No. 765 “The Turnip”, yellow gold pocket watch; Breguet Darkest Hour replica of No. 765; Sir John Bennett repeating full hunter pocket watch, 1905 |
| The Swiss gifts, 1945-48(Geneva, Vaud, Zurich and Rolex) | Louis Cottier / Agassiz & Co. World Time “Victory Watch”, 18k yellow gold, 46 mm; Lemania chronograph, 18k yellow gold, 36 mm; Movado Calendograf, 18k gold, triple calendar; Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust, 18k gold (rose gold per one source) |
| Wristwatch, wartime(Brand unidentified) | Wristwatch seen in Second World War photographs |
How we label the evidence
Confirmed means a costume designer, prop department, the brand or the show itself said so, or multiple reputable outlets agree and cite a source. Reported means a single reputable outlet or database reports it. We leave out other fan speculation, and where sources disagree we say so. All prices are in US dollars and are indicative; check current listings before buying.
The pocket watch (Breguet No. 765)
Churchill's own habits point to the pocket watch. The International Churchill Society says he preferred it and scorned the wristwatch, and portraits show the chain across his waistcoat. The Turnip is the piece Breguet itself documents, including a servicing visit in 1928.
| Watch | Reference | Evidence | Where you see it | Price (US) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breguet No. 765 “The Turnip”, yellow gold pocket watch | No. 765 | Confirmed | Worn on a heavy gold chain with fobs. Breguet's archive and the Churchill Society document it; family nickname confirmed by Mary Soames. Minute repeater with split-seconds chronograph, white enamel dial, Spencer-Churchill arms on the caseback | Not sold; family-held, so no market value |
| Breguet Darkest Hour replica of No. 765 | Promotional replica | Confirmed | Made by Breguet for the 2017 film Darkest Hour (released January 2018). Matches the exterior only; the movement was not recreated | Not stated; promotional, not sold |
| Sir John Bennett repeating full hunter pocket watch, 1905 | Not stated | Uncertain | Reported gift from H. H. Asquith, Christmas 1905, sold at Dawsons on May 23, 2024 (lot 234). The attribution rests on a dealer write-up; the Dawsons page could not be read | GBP 76,000 hammer against a GBP 20,000-30,000 estimate (about $96,000 at 2024 rates, our conversion) |
The Swiss gifts, 1945-48 (Geneva, Vaud, Zurich and Rolex)
After the war, Swiss donors gave Churchill watches in a short run of gestures between 1945 and 1948. Three have documentary support; the Rolex is reported but thinly sourced. Note that none of these is an Omega.
| Watch | Reference | Evidence | Where you see it | Price (US) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louis Cottier / Agassiz & Co. World Time “Victory Watch”, 18k yellow gold, 46 mm | No. 44496 | Confirmed | Gift of a group of Geneva citizens, letter dated Christmas 1945; Churchill's thanks published in La Suisse on September 14, 1946. Enamel dial with St George and the dragon. Sotheby's catalogues it as a wristwatch, while several outlets call it a pocket watch. Sotheby's London, lot 75, sale L15053 (estimate GBP 60,000-100,000) | GBP 485,000 on September 22, 2015 (about $740,000 at the Sept 2015 rate). One dealer gives GBP 438,000; we use 485,000 (WorldTempus, The Jewellery Editor). Premium treatment not stated |
| Lemania chronograph, 18k yellow gold, 36 mm | Cal. 2310 / CH27-C12 | Confirmed | Caseback reads “Le canton de Vaud A son hote illustre Mr. Winston Churchill Aout-September 1946”. Sotheby's London, April 25, 2017, lot 160 (estimate GBP 15,000-25,000). Condition was described as dented with a salmon dial. The calibre shares a lineage with the Omega 321, but the watch is not an Omega | GBP 162,500 (about $223,000), per Wrist Enthusiast and Time Worn Watches; Sotheby's results page not seen, premium not stated |
| Movado Calendograf, 18k gold, triple calendar | 4820 (cal. 475 SC) | Confirmed | Engraved as from “some Swiss citizens”, September 1946; recorded in the Churchill Archives (CHUR 2/239). Formerly in the Steve Forbes collection for about 30 years. Offered by Peter Harrington Rare Books in August 2024 | Asking GBP 150,000 (about $190,000, our conversion at 2024 rates). Dealer ask only; no sale result found |
| Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust, 18k gold (rose gold per one source) | Not stated | Reported | Said to be from Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf after the 100,000th chronometer; correspondence late 1947, received 1948. Dealer write-ups mention Churchill's coat of arms on the caseback. We found no auction record, no Rolex page we could read and no current location. The date (1947 or 1948) and metal (yellow or rose) conflict | No price; location unknown |
Wristwatch, wartime (Brand unidentified)
Churchill did wear a wristwatch at least through the Second World War. A 1915 letter from Violet Asquith asked whether he needed a “luminous wristwatch” for the Front, and a wartime photograph shows one on his wrist.
| Watch | Reference | Evidence | Where you see it | Price (US) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wristwatch seen in Second World War photographs | Not identified | Uncertain | The author Richard Langworth notes the photo but no source names the maker. We do not name a brand | — |
Beyond the watch: the chain, the Duke and the sales
The chain. The Turnip hung from a heavy gold waistcoat chain carrying fobs: a gold sovereign case, a “V for Victory” emblem, a silver Napoleon head, a medallion from his 1924 Abbey by-election defeat (lost by 43 votes), and a garnet in a gold heart from Clementine, given at their wedding in September 1908. A second gold heart marked his 90th birthday. The Churchill Society also records him setting the watch on the table to challenge Professor Lindemann to explain quantum theory in five minutes.
Who bought the Turnip. Breguet says it was bought in 1890 by the Duke of Marlborough, Churchill's uncle. The Churchill Bulletin says cousin, and some outlets say grandfather. The grandfather version cannot be right: the 7th Duke died in 1883. Langworth calls it his father's watch. We treat the exact Duke as uncertain and follow Breguet. Churchill later owned it and was a lifelong Breguet customer.
Where it is now. Sources conflict. The Churchill Society says it belonged to his grandson Winston, Langworth says a great-grandson, and two outlets say it is family-owned and displayed at the Churchill War Rooms. We could not confirm the display on the museum's own site, so read that as reported.
Auction context. The Victory Watch was sold by Sotheby's in 2015 timed to the 70th anniversary of the end of the war and the 50th of Churchill's death. It was one of four watches Swiss citizens gave to Allied leaders (Churchill, de Gaulle, Stalin and Truman), according to WorldTempus and Armenpress. Sotheby's framing of the Lemania around European unity has no evidence that Churchill wore it for his 1946 Zurich speech, as Hodinkee Japan notes. For other celebrity watch guides, see our famous people watches hub; for another case where a famous watch is attached to a story, see The Gentlemen.
Get the look for less
We do not offer lookalikes for the Turnip. These are editorial pointers to the nearest current model pages and a maker's own take on his taste, with the one price our sources give.
| Watch | Why it fits | Price (US) |
|---|---|---|
| Rolex Datejust (modern, steel or gold) | The model line behind the Wilsdorf gift | See current Rolex retail |
| Omega Speedmaster (for the movement family) | Shares the Lemania lineage only; Churchill owned no Omega | See current retail |
Myths and mix-ups, corrected
- “Churchill's Patek Philippe 1518.” We found no source linking Churchill to a Patek Philippe 1518. The reference is a real 1941-54 perpetual calendar chronograph, but the Churchill tie-in, which appears in our The Gentlemen guide as a story detail, has no documentation we could find. Treat it as unsourced.
- “Churchill wore an Omega.” Four-plus searches found no Omega owned by or given to him. The only link is that the Vaud Lemania's movement belongs to the family behind the Omega 321.
- “The Turnip was his grandfather's.” The 7th Duke died in 1883, so he could not have bought it in 1890. Breguet says the buyer was Churchill's uncle.
- “The Victory Watch is a pocket watch.” Sotheby's calls it a wristwatch, while several outlets say pocket watch. We describe it cautiously for that reason.
- “The Victory Watch sold for GBP 438,000.” One dealer gives that figure; WorldTempus and The Jewellery Editor give GBP 485,000.
- “The Lemania was worn for the Zurich speech.” No evidence supports this. It was a gift from the Canton of Vaud in 1946.
- “Churchill loved wristwatches.” Sources say he preferred the pocket watch, though he did wear a wristwatch in the war.
Sources
Breguet archive pages; the International Churchill Society (Finest Hour 144 and Churchill Bulletin 181); Richard Langworth; Sotheby's catalogue pages for the Victory Watch; WorldTempus, The Jewellery Editor, Armenpress, Time Worn Watches, Wrist Enthusiast, Hodinkee Japan, Robb Report Australia and Malaysia. We could not read Sotheby's results pages, Rolex's own site or the Churchill War Rooms page. Prices are indicative US-dollar conversions with dates and sources noted; several are our own conversions of sterling figures and are marked as such.
Frequently Asked Questions
What watch did Winston Churchill wear?
Mainly a Breguet pocket watch, No. 765, nicknamed The Turnip, worn on a gold waistcoat chain. He also received several Swiss gift watches after the Second World War.
What is Churchill's Victory Watch?
A gold Cottier/Agassiz & Co. World Time watch given by Geneva citizens in 1945. Sotheby's sold it in London on September 22, 2015 for GBP 485,000, about $740,000.
Did Churchill own an Omega?
We found no source saying so. The Lemania chronograph from the Canton of Vaud has a movement from the family behind the Omega 321, but it is not an Omega.
Did Churchill own a Patek Philippe 1518?
We found no source for that claim. Treat it as unsourced.
Did Churchill have a Rolex?
A gold Datejust is reported as a gift from Hans Wilsdorf, but we found no auction record or primary document, and sources disagree on the date and metal.
Where is the Breguet Turnip now?
Reported as family-owned and on display at the Churchill War Rooms, but sources conflict and we could not confirm it on the museum's site.
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