Former NYC Mayor Giuliani Donates Historic Yankee-Owned Watch for Online Auction


Analog/Shift, a New York-based online retail platform specializing in the sourcing and selling of rare, vintage watches from the 1930s through 1980s, celebrated four years in business and a new CEO appointment on May 11 at Manhattan’s Up&Down nightclub. The evening, attended by a VIP crowd of watch collectors and enthusiasts, and hosted by Analog/Shift founder James Lamdin, also featured a special guest with a special announcement: former New York Mayor and Yankees superfan Rudy Giuliani, who donated a precious timepiece, once owned by a heralded New York Yankees player, for a charity auction.

Wittnauer Electro-Chron - NY Yankees

The watch, acquired for “America’s Mayor” by the Analog/Shift team a while back and now being donated back, is a vintage Wittnauer Electro-Chron (the Wittnauer brand is owned today by Bulova), originally presented by the Yankees organization to shortstop Dick Bartell at the 1962 Old Timers Game at Yankee Stadium. It features the famous Yankees logo at 3 o’clock, the model’s recognizable lightning-bolt hour and minute hands, and the original stretch bracelet. A typed letter from Bartell, confirming the watch’s authenticity, comes with it. The watch is up for auction on the Analog/Shift website until May 20, with proceeds from its sale supporting the Horological Society of New York (HSNY), a local nonprofit dedicated to advancing the art and science of horology.

Wittnauer Electro-Chron - Yankees w/ Dick Bartell letter

At the event, Analog/Shift also announced that it is setting up a new subsidiary called Contraponte, which will be devoted to curating and selling pre-owned watches from independent watchmakers and boutique haute horlogerie brands rather than larger manufacturers such as Rolex, Omega, and TAG Heuer. It is also likely that Giuliani will continue to be an Analog/Shift customer: the company’s new CEO, also announced at the event, is Geoffrey Hess, who is not only a longtime fixture on the New York watch collecting scene but also a senior advisor to the former mayor during his administration and founding partner of Giuliani Partners. On leading the company’s newest initiatives, including Contraponte, Hess remarked, “Analog/Shift is a rare example of a platform with unlimited potential, built in a market that is experiencing significant levels of growth. I’m proud to be spearheading its evolution and am wholeheartedly confident about its future success.”

Jacob Sotak, Rudy Giuliani, Geoffrey Hess, James Lamdin
l-r: Jacob Sotak, Rudy Giuliani, Geoffrey Hess, and James Lamdin at the May 11 event
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  1. Dieter J.P. ULLMANN

    Hello WatchTime, I think you’re my last chance to find out what Watch is shown at this picture made of Rudy Giuliani 2 Month (12/2020) ago. I’m a german Watch Entusiast and hope for you help :-) I’m a german watch collector and frind of the US :-) I’ve attaced the PIC from Rudy at a YouTube Video Conference I’ve followed. More of me If you like.
    The Pic:,… insert did not work :-( do you hat a email addres to send the PIC for me ? Best regards Dieter J.P.

    Reply
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