About this lot

Description

Lip - An open faced pocket watch / chronograph / tachymeter, according to the inscription on the reverse, from Les 24 Heures Du Mans, circa 1950, the signed white dial, 45mm diameter, with black Arabic numerals, blued hands, subsidiary seconds register and chemin de fer chapter ring, the chronograph / tachymeter with centre sweep, subsidiary minutes register at 12 o'clock and four additional outer timing rings, unsigned mechanical crown wind movement with inner push button stopwatch control, the reverse plain and engraved 'Les 24 Heures Du Mans 1950 No 32'
Other Notes: Automobiles Gordini (a division of Renault sport) entered a work's team of 6 cars in the 1950 Le Mans 24 hour endurance race, including one car driven by 5 times Formula One world champion Juan Manuel Fangio (no. 33), a record which stood for 47 years until beaten by Michael Schumacher. Fangio was considered one of the best racing drivers of all time. This stopwatch, however, was apparenty allocated to no. 32, a Simca Gordini T15S coupé driven by Fangio's teammates Frenchmen Maurice Trintgnat and Robert Manzon. Both Formula One drivers of the era, Trintgnat won Le Mans in 1954, and the Monaco Grands Prix in 1955 and 1958 during his 14 year racing career. Manzon was the new boy, and this race was his first at senior level, however he achieved overall 3rd place in the Formula One series that year and completed 29 F1 races in his short 6 year career. He died in 2015, the last surviving entrant of the 1950 F1 season. No. 32 retired after completing 34 laps due to a faulty radiator, and by the end of the 24 hours, all 6 cars in team Gordini had retired with mechanical issues. 1950 was an important year in motor racing history; what is now known as Formula 1 was launched that year with the first world championship race held at Silverstone.

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