£1m timely reminder of swimmer's heroic feat

A WATCH worn by the first British woman to swim the Channel is set to fetch £1million at auction.

- By Hannah Roberts

Mercedes Gleitze's "vindication swim" of 1927 was used to verify the engineering prowess of the Rolex Oyster, which survived more than 10 hours submerged in sea water.

The watch is appearing at auction for the first time for 25 years after it was sold by a descendant of the swimmer for £17,037 in 2000.

Gleitze, who spent her childhood in Brighton, became a long-distance swimmer while working as a bilingual secretary in Westminster.