This Tag Heuer Aquaracer is very desirable mostly due to the reasons we just explained. This Rolex will forever be associated with British prisoners. Click here to see the details of this 1940s Speedking, the watch that was given to any British prisoner of war by Hans Wildorf on a "pay whenever" basis.For you history/Rolex buffs out there, we have to mention the specific role Rolex played in what is now known as "the Great Escape".He was, in effect, betting that that Germans would lose, and that bet paid off.The Rolex most commonly requested by British POWs was a small, relatively inexpensive model called the Speedking. We have, of course, found you one here. This 1940s Rolex Speedking is sized at only 30mm and has an original, fairly rare "California dial", whi means half of the markers are in roman numerals and half are in English numerals.
Rolex is the most famous Tag Heuer Aquaracer brand on earth, and that has sometimes worked against them in terms of public opinion. What many people don't know about is Rolex's history of giving, an example of which we are about to share with you. We think it just might change the minds of some of you Rolex-haters out there.During the second World War, Rolex founder Hans Wildorf extended a daring and generous offer to all British prisoners of war. The offer was that any POW held in a German camp could order and receive a Rolex of their choice and pay for it whenever they liked. Hans Wilford believed that a soldier's word was his contract. The concept behind the offer was to raise morale for British troops that had been captured, and it worked. More than 3,000 Tag Heuer Aquaracer were delivered to the Oflag VII B POW camp in Bavaria alone. Many of you may be thinking, "Hans Wildorf himself was German, wasn't he?" and you'd be right. But by this time Wildorf was a resident of perpetually neutral Switzerland and had spoken out against the Nazi regime.
