Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. This is an extremely unusual Iraqi presentation piece from the Saddam Hussein era, consisting of an oversized novelty wristwatch-style wall clock made for the National Center for Construction Laboratories, complete with its original fitted velvet presentation case. The clock remains functional and incorporates the Iraqi coat of arms, a photograph of Saddam Hussein in military uniform, and Arabic presentation wording associated with the Center. It may have left Iraq as a souvenir during or after the 2003 invasion, but we have no provenance on where it came from.

The watch’s bands depict the Iraqi Coat of Arms on the top side, which is heavily worn, and with a logo on the lower side over the text:

مع تحيات
with regards

المركز القومي للمختبرات الانشائية
National Center for Construction Laboratories

The National Center for Construction Laboratories was an Iraqi state institution headquartered in Baghdad. It was formally established under Law No. 143 of 1976 to conduct laboratory testing of construction materials, soil testing, technical research, and related engineering work. It was reorganized under Law No. 65 of 1987 and remained connected with Iraq’s Ministry of Housing and Construction.

In 1997–1998 the institution was reorganized as a state-owned public company while retaining the name National Center for Construction Laboratories. Following the 2003 war, the Baghdad Building Research Center was merged with it in 2004, creating the National Center for Construction Laboratories and Research. The institution was later again known as the National Center for Construction Laboratories.

The watch with bands measures roughly 30” long, while the case itself has a roughly 4 ½” diameter. The case features a photograph of Saddam Hussein in his uniform. The clock functionality on the back takes one Double A battery and is marked NILES / JAPAN and QUARTZ / NO JEWELS (0) / UNADJUSTED. It still works very well, and the band will even work, though this was likely made to hang on the wall.

The large velvet presentation case measures roughly 34 x 8 1/2 x 3 ¼” when closed, and retains both functioning latches and an Iraqi Coat of Arms in silver on the lid. The case is molded to fit the watch perfectly. This may have been a gift for a foreign diplomat or scholar visiting the Center for Construction Laboratories in the 1990s, but we just don’t have any information on it. It requires a lot more research and will become the centerpiece of any Global War on Terror Collection.

This piece is especially noteworthy for its oversized wristwatch form, functional Japanese quartz movement, Saddam Hussein portrait, Arabic National Center for Construction Laboratories inscription, Iraqi state emblems, and original fitted velvet presentation case. Its exact presentation history remains unknown, but the institutional wording and state symbolism securely place it within the material culture of Saddam-era Iraqi government organizations and make it an unusual surviving example of official or semi-official Iraqi presentation material.