Time Capsule
Vintage Personalized Wristwatches & the Stories They Tell
"You never actually own a watch...You merely look after it for the next generation" *
* Thank you, Patek Philippe....
New Stories –- May 2021:
Please click this photo to read the story of Major David A. Breese -- a WW2 British Royal Engineer (“Sapper”), who blew up bridges in Normandy as part of the D-Day invasion. He purchased his Orator watch in May 1947 after being promoted to a Major and deployed to Palestine. It is inscribed with his Service # and Name.
Special thanks to the British Airborne Engineers Association (https://www.airbornesappers.org.uk/) and their wonderful website. Their Roll of Honour section provided key stories and photos of Maj. Breese.
New Stories -- April 2021:
Please click this photo to read the story of a decorated WW1 Marine Hero and his 1941 Hamilton Wilshire presentation watch. It was given to Col. Frank Whitehead as Commandant of the Army Industrial College.
The watch was just returned to Col. Whitehead’s cousin, Gale Heslop. Gale – his family’s historian -- had recently completed a 500-page biography of Whitehead, and knew nothing about the Hamilton until I contacted him. Semper Fi.
WW1 Trench Watches
WW2/Cold War Military Watches
Athletes Watches
Presentation/Personal Watches
The Time Capsule Collection of Vintage Watches
Bob Stokes
I have spent my entire life collecting something. It naturally started out with 1950s baseball cards (yup, I had all the Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays cards...) -- and of course my Mom threw them all out when I went to college. Over the next fifty years, that morphed into Victorian Furniture, Victor Talking Machines / Nipper collectibles, 19th Century Advertising; Opera memorabilia – and finally, vintage personalized wristwatches.
I'm still building my Time Capsule website -- I will be continuing to add new stories from my 40+ watch collection....so please keep coming back!
