In addition to fronting one of the most commercially successful bands of the 1980s, Mark Knopfler is a charitable man. One of the charities he has supported over the years is Bravehearts of the North East. Bravehearts supports children of northeast England who have braved illness, disability, or other hardship. Recipients are awarded a crystal plaque and given a life-improving gift like a vacation, computer, or video game system. As part of this year’s fund-raising efforts, Brave Hearts will be auctioning six watches on behalf of Mark Knopfler. Two of the watches–a TAG Heuer Kirium chronograph and a vintage IWC black dial center-seconds–are Mark’s personal watches. Rounding out the rest are a 1-of-50 Lum-Tec, and a trio of British military watches: a Lemania WWW, a Hamilton 6B, and (my favorite of the bunch) a Hamilton GS with the rarer 24-hour dial. All of the mil-watches are recently serviced, and each watch comes with a Bund-style strap signed by Mark.The auctions will be listed on eBay later today (link here). If you’re in the market for an older British mil-watch, think it would be cool to own a watch formerly owned by a legitimate rockstar, or you just want to help some kids in northeast England, here’s your chance.
Photos via Paul Crockford, Crockford Management