ITEMS given to other people don’t normally capture buyers’ attention at auction. But when a watch is passed on by the Shah of Iran after receiving it from the Apollo 11 astronauts, collectors are quick to take note.

The Omega Speedmaster 145022-68 ST goes under the hammer in Corsham, and is being sold by 77-year-old former helicopter pilot Robin White.

Mr White, who now lives in Dorset, kept the watch in a safe for many years. He said: “The Omega is much venerated but hasn’t been seen by many people. It holds lots of good memories for me but I thought it would be jolly nice if it was worth something. If it sells, I’ll take my wife on a cruise.”

In 1969, the Apollo 11 astronauts, following the historic first moon landing, visited 23 countries, including Iran, during what was called the Giant Leap goodwill tour.

The Omega watch was presented to the Shah of Iran in 1969 by the crew of Apollo 11 during this tour. The Shah subsequently gave it to his half-sister, Princess Fatemeh Pahlavi, who gave it to Mr White in return for helping her become the first Iranian woman to fly a helicopter.

Mr White recalled how Princess Fatemeh, who died in London in 1987, would regularly order a Boeing 737 plane to fly from Iran to Denmark to collect supplies of alcoholic drinks. After the princess first flew solo, she presented him with the watch in his flight school office.

In the late 1960s, former military pilot Mr White, who then worked for Bristow Helicopters, was based in Iran training Iranian military personnel to fly helicopters. His exploits in evacuating Bristow’s fleet of helicopters from Iran when the Shah was overthrown in 1979 are featured in author James Clavell’s 1986 novel Whirlwind.

David Hare, director and auctioneer at Gardiner Houlgate, said: “The watch’s presentation to the Shah by the Apollo 11 crew is well documented. We also have Mr White’s flight logs and photos from 1969 showing his lessons with Princess Fatemeh. It’s an amazing story, like something out of an adventure book.”

Mr Hare added, “This watch is something quite special. It’s in lovely condition and having been associated with the moon astronauts and the Shah of Iran, we anticipate it could fetch as much as £15,000.”

Mr White’s Omega Speedmaster will be auctioned on Wednesday February 19 at Gardiner Houlgate's Corsham showroom. It will be available for the public to see from February 17-19 during the auction viewing.