A melted wristwatch that survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, has sold for $31,113 at an auction in the United States.
The hands of the watch, which was recovered from the ruins of the city, are frozen at the moment of detonation at 8:15 a.m., according to RR Auction.
The auction house based in Boston, through which the item was sold Thursday, has not disclosed the buyer.
The rare timepiece was recovered by a British soldier who was dispatched to Hiroshima to provide emergency supplies and assess reconstruction requirements, according to the item's listing description.
The watch can be considered as "marking the dawn of the nuclear age and heralding what could very well be the twilight of civilization," it said.
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons had expressed opposition to the sale of the item, sending a letter demanding its listing be taken down over concerns that individuals could profit from an artifact that carries historical lessons.