$1,800
Corps of Engineers U. S.A. Vacheron & Constantin, Genève, No. 381715, case No. 235445. Made for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers circa 1918. Fine and interesting, keyless, silver pocket watch with chronograph. Four-body, demi-bassine, solid, polished, hinged silver cuvette. White enamel with painted bold Arabic numerals, outer chronograph divisions, sunk subsidiary seconds dial. Blued steel Breguet hands. Notes U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (lots 208 & 211) The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers history can be traced back to June 16, 1775, when the Continental Congress organized an Army with a Chief Engineer and two assistants. Colonel Richard Gridley was to become General George Washington's first Chief Engineer. It was not until 1779 that Congress created a Separate Corps of Engineers. The Corps of Engineers has been instrumental in all U.S. military actions since this time; from the American Revolution where, with the assistance of several French officers, they were a key component in battles such as Saratoga and the final victory at Yorktown, up to today's actions in Iraq. The Corps of Engineers has also from the beginning been charged by the U.S. Congress with construction and works “of a civil nature”. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries the Corps of Engineers has overseen construction of coastal fortifications, lighthouses, dams and other heavy engineering projects, as well as developing jetties and piers for harbors. The Corps was also responsible for the vast majo
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2008-06-18
