A watch that melted during the atomic blast over Hiroshima, Japan, sells for more than $31,000

BOSTON — A watch melted during the Aug. 6, 1945, bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, has sold for more than $31,000 at auction.

The watch is frozen in time at the moment of the detonation of an atomic bomb over the Japanese city — 8:15 a.m. — during the closing days of World War ll, according to Boston-based RR Auction. The winning bid in the auction that ended Thursday was $31,113.

The artifact was recovered from the ruins of Hiroshima and offers a glimpse into the immense destruction of the first atomic bomb detonated over a city.

The small brass-tone watch, a rare survivor from the blast zone, was auctioned alongside other historically significant items, according to the auction house. Despite the cloudiness of the crystal caused by the blast, the watch's hands remain halted at 8:15 a.m. — the moment when the B-29 Enola Gay dropped the “Little Boy” atomic bomb.

The auction house said that according to the item's consignor, a British soldier retrieved the wristwatch from the ruins of the city while on a mission to provide emergency supplies and assess post-conflict reconstruction needs at the Prefectural Promotion Hall in Hiroshima.

“It is our fervent hope that this museum-quality piece will stand as a poignant educational symbol, serving to not only remind us of the tolls of war but also to underscore the profound, destructive capabilities that humanity must strive to avoid,” said Bobby Livingston, executive vice president at RR Auction. “This wristwatch, for instance, marks the exact moment in time when history changed forever."

The winning bidder opted to remain anonymous.

Other items featured in the auction included a signed copy of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong's “The Little Red Book," which sold for $250,000; a signed check from George Washington — one of two known checks signed as president to ever come to market — which sold for $135,473; and Buzz Aldrin’s Apollo 11 Lunar Module Prep Checklist, which sold for $76,533, according to RR Auction.