The First Watch to Climb Mount Everest

Image Credit: gizmodo.com

The story behind this watch makes it extremely valuable. This Rolex watch, currently on display at the Beyer Watch and Clock Museum in Zürich, Switzerland, could top them all. It accompanied Sir Edmund Hillary on one of the most famous expeditions of all time to the top of the world - Mount Everest.

Sadly this watch was never officially owned by Hillary. Rolex was one of the official sponsors of the 1953 Everest Expedition, and saw it as much of an opportunity for research as for publicity. So the Rolex Oyster Perpetual was only loaned to Hillary, and when he successfully made it to the summit and back it was returned for tests.

No one really knows what tests Rolex performed on the watch upon its return, or what the company learned by sending this timepiece to the highest peak on the planet. But eventually, after remaining in Rolex's possession for decades, it was passed on to Theodore Beyer who put it on display at his museum for all to see - complete with part of the shipping package Hillary used to return it.