SourcingNov 26, 2024
De Beers Stays With ‘A Diamond Is Forever’ for 2024 Holiday Campaign“Forever Present” highlights gifting opportunities for natural diamonds, celebrating familial, friendship, and romantic relationships.
AuctionsMay 29, 2020
Patek Philippe Given to 1918 Pandemic Doctor Heads to Auction
Physician Rupert Blue led the U.S. through several disease outbreaks in the early 1900s and eventually was named surgeon general.
The city of San Francisco gifted this circa 1908 Patek Philippe pocket watch to American physician Rupert Blue for his help eradicating the bubonic plague. It could sell for up to $45,000 when it goes to auction June 9.
Dallas—In 1918, a devastating pandemic known as the Spanish flu was ravaging the United States, and many of the measures taken, and lessons learned, then mirror those of the current crisis.
It’s very timely, then, that an 18-karat gold Patek Philippe pocket watch owned by the doctor who helped guide the U.S. through that pandemic more than a century ago will go up for auction next month at Heritage Auctions in Dallas.
At the time of the Spanish flu outbreak, Rupert Blue served as surgeon general.
He counseled Americans to follow a number of protocols that will sound familiar—wearing facial coverings, practicing social distancing, and closing establishments where large numbers of people gather, like schools and churches.
Blue was only 50 years old at the time the Spanish flu took hold of the country but he’d already navigated several crises as a member of the U.S. Public Health Service, most notably the bubonic plague that swept through San Francisco in two waves—in 1903-1904 and then again from 1907-1908.
Blue understood the disease would only be cured if doctors figured out how it spread and who was impacted.
He established a lab and office in the San Francisco’s Chinatown neighborhood, the center of the outbreak, and embarked on a campaign to disinfect the city and exterminate its rats.
When he left San Francisco to help cities plagued with other issues, its health department awarded Blue with a proclamation thanking him for “his skillful and energetic cooperation in all pertaining to the welfare of San Francisco’s high sanitary state and commercial prosperity.”
For his work eradicating the plague from the city, he received the 18-karat gold Patek Philippe pocket watch.
Its inside dust cover bears the following inscription (as seen in the picture below): “To Rupert Blue P.A. Surgeon, U.S.P.H. and M.H.S. from the citizens of San Francisco. In grateful recognition of services rendered the city while in command of the Sanitation Campaign of 1908.”
The dial of the minute-repeating split-second chronograph features white enamel, Arabic numerals, gold Louis XV hands, and a 30-minute register at 12 o’clock.
The 45 mm case made in 18-karat gold has an invisible hinge, gold cuvette with inscription, gold slide for the repeat on the rim, and split-second buttons in the crown and on the band.
Heritage Auctions Watches & Fine Timepieces Director Jim Wolf said the citizens of San Francisco “spared no expense when choosing
this timepiece as a token of gratitude.”
“It was a first-quality, highly complicated watch by the most accomplished maker, and it would have cost a handsome sum—close to $1,000 when manufactured in 1905.”
A decade after he received the watch, Blue served on the frontlines of the nation’s worst pandemic, commanding quarantine stations and enlisting more than 250 doctors into the Public Health Service to fight the Spanish flu, particularly notable at a time when the nation’s ranks of medical professionals had been depleted by World War I.
Blue also served during the yellow fever outbreak in New Orleans in 1905.
In addition to being named surgeon general in 1909, Blue was elected president of the American Medical Association and president of the Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.A. in 1915.
When his Patek Philippe pocket watch hits the block as part of Heritage Auctions’ June 9 Watches & Fine Timepieces Auction, it’s expected to sell for between $35,000 and $45,000.
“It was a first-quality, highly complicated watch by the most accomplished maker, and it would have cost a handsome sum—close to $1,000 when manufactured in 1905.”
A decade after he received the watch, Blue served on the frontlines of the nation’s worst pandemic, commanding quarantine stations and enlisting more than 250 doctors into the Public Health Service to fight the Spanish flu, particularly notable at a time when the nation’s ranks of medical professionals had been depleted by World War I.
Blue also served during the yellow fever outbreak in New Orleans in 1905.
In addition to being named surgeon general in 1909, Blue was elected president of the American Medical Association and president of the Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.A. in 1915.
When his Patek Philippe pocket watch hits the block as part of Heritage Auctions’ June 9 Watches & Fine Timepieces Auction, it’s expected to sell for between $35,000 and $45,000.
More on Auctions
The Latest
MajorsNov 26, 2024
GIA’s Board of Governors Adds 2 New MembersRetail leader Lisa Bridge and geology professor Dr. Wendy Bohrson joined the organization’s board.
ColumnistsNov 26, 2024
The Smart Lab: 7 Strategies for Refining Your Holiday Email Marketing CampaignsSuccessful email marketing campaigns are all about timing, personalization, and compelling CTAs, Emmanuel Raheb writes.
Brought to you by
Navigating Cybersecurity: Essential Guidance for JewelersFrom protecting customer data to safeguarding inventory records, it's crucial to learn how to tackle cybersecurity challenges.
SourcingNov 25, 2024
William Goldberg Celebrates 2 Major Milestones With New Book“The William Goldberg Way” was released in honor of the company’s 75th anniversary and 25 years of its proprietary Ashoka diamond.
Weekly QuizNov 21, 2024
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
Lab-GrownNov 25, 2024
Lab-Grown Co. Lusix Sold to 2 Companies for $4M Fenix and Dholakia Lab-Grown Diamonds have jointly acquired the Israel-based company, which grows diamonds using solar power.
IndependentsNov 25, 2024
Sophie Bille Brahe Opens First US StoreThe Danish brand has opened an appointment-only location on Madison Avenue in New York City.
Brought to you by
Enhance Your Expertise with IGI’s In-Person Courses in NYCThis fall, sharpen your skills in jewelry grading, quality control and diamond assessment.
Events & AwardsNov 25, 2024
The Original Miami Beach Antique Show Panel to Feature Fred SavageThe actor and watch enthusiast will be part of the show’s education lineup.
EditorsNov 22, 2024
Out & About: Inside the CD Peacock MansionStep inside the nearly 21,000-square-foot suburban Chicago jewelry store with Editor-in-Chief Michelle Graff.
CollectionsNov 22, 2024
Piece of the Week: Xander Jane’s ‘Spiked’ Pearl StudsThese punk-inspired earrings from the new Canadian brand’s debut collection reveal the alter ego of the classic pearl.
SourcingNov 22, 2024
Facets of Fire Expands to Include Pear, Marquise DiamondsThe company brings its nanotechnology to two new fancy cuts for diamonds that feature its signature color and brilliance.
Supplier BulletinNov 21, 2024
Tasha R Releases 2025 Labbelle Lab Diamond Jewelry CatalogSponsored by Tasha R
MajorsNov 21, 2024
Harris Jewelry Ordered to Reopen Claims Portal for Refund RequestsA federal court found that the jewelry store chain violated terms of the settlement reached after it was accused of defrauding customers.
CollectionsNov 21, 2024
Channel Elphaba in Muse’s ‘Have a Heart x Cynthia Erivo’ CollectionCynthia Erivo chose Dreams of Hope, an organization dedicated to empowering LGBTQA+ youth, as the charity for this year’s collection.
MajorsNov 21, 2024
Rocksbox Opens Pop-Up Store in San FranciscoThe new space was designed to evoke a warm, inviting vibe.
IndependentsNov 21, 2024
Mary Moses Kinney Is Now Part of The Edge’s Team Kinney, who spent nearly 30 years at IJO, has been hired to head Abbott Jewelry Systems’ new virtual marketplace.
CrimeNov 20, 2024
Sotheby’s to Pay $6.25M Settlement to NY State for Alleged Tax FraudThe auction house was accused of helping clients avoid paying taxes on millions of dollars’ worth of art purchased from 2010 to 2020.
Events & AwardsNov 20, 2024
Kering Debuts New Jewelry Award With Sustainability FocusThe four finalists will present their pieces at the 2025 JCK Las Vegas show.
CollectionsNov 20, 2024
Pamela Love Channels Surrealist Artists in New CollectionThe “Camera Oscura” collection showcases earring designs celebrating female Surrealist artists Claude Cahun and Leonor Fini.
Policies & IssuesNov 20, 2024
Columbia Gem House Raises $10K for Reforestation EffortsThe money will fund the planting of 10,000 trees in critical areas across Oregon, Arizona, Montana, and other regions.
Events & AwardsNov 20, 2024
The Jewelry Symposium Opens Registration, Scholarship ApplicationsThe event centered on advancing jewelry manufacturing technology will return to Detroit in May 2025.
CrimeNov 19, 2024
Woman Killed in Armed Robbery of Sacramento Jewelry StoreLocal reports identified the woman as the wife of the jewelry store owner.
AuctionsNov 19, 2024
‘A Tsar’s Treasure’ Fetches $2.9M at Sotheby’s Jewelry SaleA collection of pieces owned by Ferdinand I, the first king of modern Bulgaria, and his family, blew away estimates in Geneva last week.
MajorsNov 19, 2024
Trove Opens First US Flagship in NYCThe Australian jewelry box brand’s new West Village store will showcase new jewelers each month through its Designer in Residence program.
CollectionsNov 19, 2024
Snoop Dogg’s New Jewelry Collection Is All About Love“Lovechild” was created in partnership with Carolyn Rafaelian’s Metal Alchemist brand.
EditorsNov 18, 2024
Q&A: Helzberg CEO Brad Hampton on the Jeweler’s RebrandHampton discussed how Helzberg is improving the customer experience and why it was inspired by the company formerly known as Dunkin’ Donuts.
