Cloisonne Watch, Lindbergh, King Collection

FUNCTIONAL: A blue metal sphere attached to a length of chain. The chain has a clasp to keep it closed and the links are painted light blue. The side of the blue sphere opposite where the chain attaches is flattened and has a piece of glass covering the face of a watch. The face has black minute and hour hands and black numbers 1 through 12. The crown for the watch is located half way up the sphere above the 12. A band splits the sphere into two sections, the section with the watch face has black lettering "Lindbergh Spirit of St. Louis" The other section has an image of the Spirit of St. Louis.

On May 20-21, 1927, Charles Lindbergh literally flew into history when he crossed the Atlantic Ocean in his Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis, thus becoming the first pilot to fly solo and nonstop from New York to Paris. This flight made Lindbergh a household name and catapulted him into fame and celebrity. The objects of popular culture in the National Collection display everything from ashtrays to wristwatches reflect the public adulation for Lindbergh and the powerful commercial response to his celebrity. More than 75 years after the Spirit's historic flight, Lindbergh's name still has the power help sell manufactured goods.