Mark ormrod
Mark Ormrod of the United Kingdom receives the Jaguar Award for Exceptional Performance during the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games 2017. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

War hero auctions Bremont watch for charity, then buyer gives it straight back to him

A Marine who lost three limbs in a land mine attack in Afghanistan was stunned at a charity auction last week when a Bremont watch he put up for sale was bought by an anonymous bidder, then given straight back to him.

Mark Omrod, who was recently won a silver medal for indoor rowing at the Invictus Games for injured military veterans, donated his Bremont timepiece at an auction raising money for the Royal Marines Charity.

It was initially sold for £12,500 to a bidder who has not been named.

That bidder then declared that he would return the watch to Mr Ormrod if somebody else matched his bid.

The bid was matched, the watch returned to Mr Ormrod, and £25,000 was added to the total of £156,000 raised on the night.

Bremont has developed close ties to the military, and creates specific collections for servicemen and women.

The company has a Military and Special Projects Division that works with army, air force, navy and other emergency service units from all over the globe on bespoke watches to match their needs, often carrying insignia from different military outfits.

The British watchmaker was also a sponsor of the Great Britain team taking part in this year’s Invictus Games in Canada.

“Bremont’s military links are something we’re incredibly proud of as a business and to then have the privilege of working with the likes of Mark through Invictus has meant an awful lot,” says Catherine Villeneuve, heads of Military and Special Projects Division at Bremont.

“Mark wears the Bremont RMC350 which is a military piece we made for the 350th anniversary of the Royal Marines. The exclusivity of these models has always drawn an incredible amount of interest because they’re so unique and only available for the military to purchase. As such it’s rare for them to come up for auction or be seen on the second hand market and we were unbelievably touched to learn not only of Mark’s kindness in auctioning his timepiece off but further moved to learn of the generosity of the bidders who then gave the watch back to him. There couldn’t be a more deserving and inspiring individual and we’re delighted that they managed to raise so much money for charity,” Ms Villeneuve adds.

 

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