Pocket Watch, Watch Fob, Lindbergh, King Collection

A pocket watch with an attached watch fob. The watch is silver in color with a pale yellow face and hands. A small circle located at the bottom of the face has the multiples of 10 to the number 60 and a small second hand that is the same color as the other hands. A small head-on image of the Spirit of St. Louis is featured below the 12 at the top of the face. The back of the watch features an engraving of the New York City skyline and the Eiffel Tower with the Spirit of St. Louis flying towards the Eiffel Tower with the text "New York to Paris" on the wing. A watch fob attached to a black leather strap with buckle. The fob has a small working compass on the bottom below the image of the Spirit of St. Louis and between the Statue of Liberty and Eiffel Tower. The text "New York to Paris" appears on the wing of the plane.

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.