James Dean's pocket watch sells at Hong Kong auction

A "lucky" pocket watch owned by Hollywood bad boy James Dean sold for HK$260,000 in a Hong Kong auction yesterday, three times the highest estimate of HK$78,000.

The keyless gold-filled Elgin pocket watch attracted interest from collectors on the mainland and abroad when it went under the hammer at an Antiquorum Auctioneers sale at the Mandarin Oriental yesterday. After about 15 internet and telephone bids, it went to a European buyer.

"It should make a world record for an Elgin watch," auctioneer Julien Schaerer said after announcing the winning bid, attracting applause and laughter.

The watch was bought by the Rebel Without a Cause star in New York in 1951 just as his acting career started to take off.

Dean, known for his superstitious nature, started wearing the watch as a good luck charm. Most notably, he had it dangling from his belt loop in the 1955 film East of Eden.

The lot consisted of the watch accompanied by the original fitted box, chain, lamp pendant and documentation from Tillie Starriet, the Warner Brothers employee he called "Mom", to whom he gave the watch before his death in 1955 - at the age of 24 in a car accident in California.