Enigma Code breaker’s watch up for auction

THE watch belonging to a man who helped crack the Nazi’s Enigma Code is being sold at auction.

The Majex timepiece is the standout item at Birmingham auction house Fellows’ watch sale which closes on September 28.

The engraving on the Majex reveals it was given to Mr J.R Bentley after 21 years’ service at The British Tabulating Machine Company Ltd. It is dated July 7, 1945.

The company was enlisted to help create The Bombe, the machine used by Bletchley Park genius Alan Turing to crack Germany’s Enigma code.

The BTM company, founded in 1902, originally operated from London, but switched to Letchworth, Hertfordshire, in the war years.

BTM has another claim to fame. In the early 1950s, it built Britain’s first mass produced business computer. The Bombe, conceived in 1939, was actually designed by senior BTM engineer Harold ‘Doc’ Keen, who received an MBE for his wartime contribution.

It’s highly probable Mr J.R Bentley, who received the watch as a leaving present, worked on the complex machine.

The current Majex owner bought it at an antiques market. It has a 9ct yellow gold case which is hallmarked Edinburgh 1944. The watch features an unusual manual wind movement and has a black dial. A gold plated pin buckle is placed on the timepiece.

Fellows watch specialist Natasha Davis said: “The Majex is undoubtedly the most fascinating watch in our sale.

“It is likely that J.R Bentley worked directly on the Bombe used to crack the Enigma Code due to the time of his service. That should place this watch in high demand among collectors.”