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Vintage watches owned by sixties gangland boss Ronnie Kray up for auction

Gold designer watches owned by notorious gangland boss Ronnie Kray are being auctioned by his wife Katy Kray.

Gold designer watches owned by notorious gangland boss Ronnie Kray are being auctioned by his wife Katy Kray.

In an article written for the Daily Mail, Ms Kray says the items date back to they year they met in 1998 until his death in 1995, but also includes older pieces, given to her by friends, from before he was sent to jail for life in 1968.

“Some people will say I’m cashing in on the notoriety of a violent criminal but I don’t see it that way. Like it or not, the Krays are not just part of criminal history, but London’s history and Britain’s history too. And with this in mind I couldn’t see the point in leaving Ron’s belongings gathering dust in my garage,  which is why I decided to put them up for auction and let others preserve them for posterity,” Ms Kray says.

Ms Kray says her husband was obsessed with watches. “If someone wanted to give him a gift, he always asked for a watch but it had to be engraved,” she recalls.

A watch from J. W. Benson, a historic London jeweller and watchmaker, was engraved by his mother and father for his birthday in 1961.

A gold Longines watch was sent to Ronnie by his brother Reggie “to cheer him up when he was very poorly and on Abingdon, a special ward at Broadmoor where inmates went when they were having a really bad turn mentally”, according to Ms Kray.

The auction takes place at JP Humberts in Towcester, Northamptonshire, on June 17.

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