The Ministry for Culture and Heritage has written to Sir Edmund Hillary's widow seeking the return of a watch given to the mountaineer the year he conquered Mt Everest.
The 1953 Rolex watch is one of six offered for auction in Switzerland by Lady June Hillary.
The Ministry says it sought expert opinions on the status of all the watches under the Protected Objects Act which ensures New Zealand objects of significiant cultural heritage are kept in this country.
It says the legal advice is that the 1953 Rolex Oyster Perpetual is a protected object under the Act.
The Ministry wrote to Lady Hillary on Friday telling her of the watch's status under the Act and asking it be returned to New Zealand.
