.jpg "Wakmann Regate - John Walker American Spy watch")
Status: Not Available – SOLD
Great looking colorful and complicated Wakmann Regate Sailor’s chronograph with interesting provenance, attributed to American Spy John Walker. Wakmann was founded in 1943 first in Europe then moved to New York and became Breitling’s official US import partner in 1947 and also sold Wakmann-branded watches that were partly or mostly made with Breitling parts. This 1970’s vintage automatic chronograph has a rotating inner bezel, quick date, sweep chrono hand, pointer minute register hand, sub seconds and sub 12 hour register. The rotating inner bezel is controlled by left side crown at 10 o’clock, bezel has days repeated in 5 different colors which represent weeks of month, line up day with date at beginning of each month to use monthly calendar. The Lemania 1341 movement has been was serviced by our watchmaker and all functions are working flawlessly. Photos are not actual size of watch, the case measures 42 mm across (not including crown) x 47 mm lug to lug and is fit with a NATO bracelet. This watch is said to have been purchased in an auction of the seized assets of convicted American spy John Walker, this is what I was told by the collector that I purchased it from but no documentation was provided. John Anthony Walker was an American Navy officer, leader of the Walker Family Spy ring, and was convicted in 1985 of spying for over 17 years during the cold war for the Soviet Union. Walker is said to have given over a million documents (mostly code cards) to the Soviets and provided enough code-data information to alter significantly the balance of power between Russia and the United States. When he was arrested all of his assets were sized by the FBI and eventually sold by public auction to the highest bidder.