Jack Taylor's World Cup watch going under the hammer
Referee Jack Taylor’s 1974 World Cup final stopwatch is set to cause a sensation at auction.
The Omega stopwatch used by former English referee Jack Taylor to time the 1974 World Cup final between the Netherlands and West Germany is going under the hammer at Fellows Auctioneers.
The extraordinary piece of football history assisted Taylor when awarding two penalties in the first 30 minutes of the match – including the second minute spot kick by Johan Neeskens which is still the fastest goal ever scored in a World Cup final.
It was also the first ever penalty awarded in a World Cup final.
The stopwatch contains engravings including the official 1974 World Cup logo and Jack Taylor’s initials. It has been entered into auction at Fellows by Taylor’s family.
Fellows has placed an auction estimate of £3,000-£5,000 on the item, which features in the luxury watch sale – a live auction taking place in the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham, on Monday June 14.
It will feature as Lot 175.
Taylor, born and raised in Wolverhampton, is one of only three Englishmen to have refereed a World Cup final.
It is not known why Taylor was able to keep the stopwatch, although it is likely that he was gifted it by Fifa.
He gave the stopwatch to his daughter, Jayne Willis, over forty years ago. It has remained - untouched - in a cabinet since the 1980s.
The watch still works, and it comes in its original Omega box, which also contains the name of the referee.
Measuring 54mm in diameter, and with a mechanical, hand-wound movement, the item will be sold alongside 200 other timepieces in the auction.
Jack Taylor took charge of more than 1,000 competitive matches over a 33-year career, including the 1966 FA Cup final and the 1971 European Cup final.
In 2013 he became the first referee to be inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame, after previously being inducted into the Fifa Hall of Fame in 1999.
He died in Shropshire in 2012, aged 82.
Steven Yambo, senior watch specialist at Fellows Auctioneers, said: “I am over the moon to curate this auction.
"In the ten years that I have worked with watches, this is one of the most outstanding and significant items that we have ever had go under the hammer.
"Jack Taylor is one of the most notable referees in British history, and to auction the stopwatch that he used in an iconic match of this magnitude is a privilege."
