We at Corsair Museums pride ourselves in our collection of rare and unique art works and antiques obtained throughout history. Founded by a wealthy privateer, Rip Hunter in the Caribbean, Corsair Museums was originally a frigate called The Corsair, hence where the name came from. Hunter had an obsession for collecting rare and interesting goods, whether it was from battles or treasure. Over time, this evolved into what we are today, accommodating of rare artefacts from all over history and the world, not just from the Caribbean and pirates.
This exquisite time piece was once worn by a RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force) pilot, James Winston. It was during his first reconnaissance patrol that he encountered 2 German pilots. At the time Winston had the time piece on his wrist but after his gun got jammed, he had to reach under his seat and pull out his parachute that his watch broke of and was left in the cockpit. Despite the plane plummeting to the ground and exploding in a fiery haze, the watch was undamaged, with minor scratches on the glass.
This rare time piece was 1 of only 20 watches built. It belonged to Captain Robert Charles of the HMS Royal Oak. The watch belonged to his father but was gifted to him on his 18th birthday. The corrosion and copper build up in the edges of the watch indicate heavy use and exposure to salt and the worn-out patches and undoing of the sowing indicated friction possible due to walking up and down the ship. It clearly shows that this watch meant a lot to Captain Charles as it reminded him of home and his family.
This watch belonged to Alfred Chronos's mother, which was a gift from his father on their 25th anniversary. This remarkable time piece is quite extraordinary due to its perfect condition with the leather in outstanding condition and colour and the face of the watch having lines in a circular pattern; these details were not common at the time. The prefect condition was explained to us by Chronos himself stating,
This rather interesting time piece was worn by Commander John Steel of the 191 Battalion. Tasked with leading his troops to infiltrate a German strong hold, they were caught off guard a mile of the strong hold by a sniper. Despite gun fire and shells raining down on them, they managed to capture the strong hold with no casualties apart from one of the pins in the wrist band falling and Commander Steels watch being buried into the battlefield. The date on the watch marks the day on which Commander Steel lost his watch.
This was a first of its kind. A watch that was wearable by both genders and only 10 were ever made. The darker leather strap and watch face allowed it to be interchanged between the wrists of a man and a woman and not stand out. The rectangular shape and compact structure allowed for versatility and the ability for the watch to be worn unseen by others. The dents and chips in the metal frame indicate heavy use in day to day activities which is also evident with the spots of rust forming on the frame.
The time piece was a hand-me-down gifted to nurse Sheryl Hanes from her father as a parting gift just as she left for the war. It belonged to her mother who died of cancer a couple of months ago. You can tell from the scuff marks that this watch has been used frequently however not as often due no discolouration of the gold. Looking closed at the straps, it wasn't the standard metal buckle but a rather unique design, often seen on swiss watches made for Admirals and Captains.
This watch was actually found on the battlefield in a soldier's hand after he was shot. The watch didn't belong to him but to his girlfriend. A parting gift so he could remember her during the war when he felt like things were rough, in the hopes of coming back and marry her. On the back of the watch is the soldier's girlfriends and words of love,
This rather unusual time piece is defiantly out of its time. Carbon dating puts the watch in the 21st century at around 2006 but pictures from the battleground say otherwise. The circumstance by which modern and future technology could have landed in the war zone has everyone puzzled. This raises questions such as time travel and what if this technology fell into the wrong hand, what would the present be had this discovery been publicised?
This year's collection is brought to us by Alfred Chronos, who's rare and unique artefacts have shown the testament of time both literally and figuratively. Alfreds obsession with watches stared with his father and his collection of watches from world war 1, which have allowed him to find rare and unsual watches. During his time fighting in the second world war, he has come across some unusual time pieces. His collection of 8 unusual watches from the battle grounds of World War 2 has made us all think about time itself and left us thinking about what the future holds.
Tour will commence on the 1st of December 2018 and run through till the end of January 2019.