Watch gifted by Nelson Rockefeller expected to fetch $200K at auction

NEW YORK, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- A Patek Philippe wristwatch given by former New York Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller to Roswell B. Perkins is expected to fetch up to $200,000 at auction.

Rockefeller gave the watch to Perkins, his counsel, in 1959, three years after it was made in 1956. Prior to their time in Albany, the two were appointed to U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower's sub-cabinet.

Engraved on the back of the timepiece are Perkins and Rockefeller's initials, along with the dates Jan. 1-March 25, 1959, to commemorate that year's legislative session.

The 18-karat yellow gold wristwatch features a round button chronograph, register, tachometer and Breguet numerals, according to the Antiquorum auction house website.

"The timepiece being offered is a one-owner rarity," the website says.

The Antiquorum auction is scheduled for Thursday in New York.