Longines cal. 17.95: The special gift to Wim Vroom

The note states translated to English: To Wim Vroom, on the occasion of grandma's 75th birthday. Amsterdam October 8th 1937.

October 8, 1937—a significant day for Ciska Emilia Francisca Tombrock (1862-1946) as she celebrates her 75th birthday. To mark this milestone, she gifted each of her 33 grandchildren a golden pocket watch.

This particular golden Longines pocket watch was given to Wilhelmus Hermanus (Wim Jr.) Vroom (1930-2019), one of Ciska’s beloved grandchildren.

Have you ever received a golden pocket watch to celebrate your grandmother’s 75th birthday? To understand this remarkable gift, it helps to know a bit about the family’s legacy.

Ciska was married to Wilhelmus (Wim Sr.) Hermannus Vroom, one of the founders of Vroom & Dreesmann (V&D), a prominent Dutch department store chain established in 1887. V&D became an iconic brand in the Netherlands, lasting until 2015.

Vroom & Dressmann on the Rokin in Amsterdam, 1930

Wim Vroom jr. (1930-2019)

Wim Vroom was a silent yet powerful influence behind the Rijksmuseum renovation and later became a key driving force in establishing the new Kranenburgh museum.

Vroom devoted his life to art and history. For a quarter of a century he was director of the Dutch history department of the Rijksmuseum. His most important project was the refurbishment of the rooms for the history of the 19th and 20th centuries.

He had a particular interest in relics from the distant past that were sung about, ridiculed and forged. For almost twenty years he was chairman of the Ineke Feitz Foundation, which is named after his niece, who died at the age of 11, and which is involved in helping vulnerable children.

More about Wim Vroom in this article of the Volkskrant:

Wim Vroom (1930-2019): V&D-telg die koos voor geschiedenis en kunst

Wim Vroom jr. (1930-2019). Devoting his life to preserving history, Wim Vroom ironically became part of it himself through this special timepiece.

Provenance to proof

A pocket watch of this quality, complete with its accessories and intriguing engravings, hinted at a remarkable story.

I acquired the watch from an auction house that had estimated it solely for its gold value, with no mention of its provenance. Fortunately, a name was engraved in the case, allowing me to trace it back to the original family, who graciously shared its history. This enabled me to restore and preserve the Longines' story for future generations.

While auction houses can be excellent platforms for selling, this example shows they’re not always the best choice for pieces with rich, traceable histories.

Longines caliber 17.95

For the occasion the family choose a high grade pocket watch in 18k yellow gold from Longines. The extract states that serial number 4’026’953 was invoiced on 27 August 1924 to the company Wirth, which was at that time agent for Switzerland and The Netherlands.

A pocket watch that is really well preserved in it’s original box with original certificate and note that was added by Ciska Tombrock (1862-1946).