Watch melted during atomic blast over Hiroshima sells for more than $31,000

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

BOSTON — A watch that melted during the bombing of Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945 has sold for more than $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 final days of World War II, according to Boston-based RR Auction. The winning bid in the auction that ended Thursday was $31,113.

The artifact was recovered from the ruins of Hiroshima and offers a glimpse into the immense destruction of the first atomic bomb to detonate over a city.

The small copper-colored watch, a rare survivor from the blast zone, was auctioned along with other historically important items, according to the auction house. Despite the clouding of the crystal caused by the explosion, the hands of the watch remain stationary 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 recovered the wristwatch from the city’s ruins while on a mission to deliver emergency supplies and assess post-conflict reconstruction needs at the Hiroshima Prefectural Promotion Hall.

“It is our fervent hope that this museum-quality piece will be a poignant educational symbol that will serve not only to remind us of the toll of war, but also to underscore the profound, destructive capabilities that humanity must strive to overcome. avoid,” said Bobby. Livingston, executive vice president at RR Auction. “This wristwatch, for example, marks the exact moment when history changed forever.”

The winning bidder has chosen to remain anonymous.

Other items at the auction included a signed copy of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong’s “The Little Red Book,” which sold for $250,000; a signed check from George Washington – one of two known checks signed as president to ever hit the market – which sold for $135,473, and Buzz Aldrin’s Apollo 11 Lunar Module Prep Checklist, which sold for $76,533, according to RR Auction sold.