Topline
A Patek Philippe watch owned by Aisin-Gioro Puyi—the last emperor of China’s Qing dynasty—sold for $5.1 million at an auction Tuesday, more than 85 years after it was first made by the German manufacturer.
The Patek Philippe Ref 96 Quantieme Lune timepiece once owned by Aisin-Gioro Puyi, the Chinese Qing … [+]
Key Facts
Puyi carried the watch—a Patek Philippe Reference 96 Quantieme Lune—with him after he was captured by the Soviet Union in World War II, according to the New York Times, before he gave the watch to his Russian interpreter Georgy Permyakov.
The watch—which took three years to authenticate—is only one of three ever made by Patek Philippe, according to auction house Phillips, and features a moon-phase and triple-date calendar.
It is not known how or when Puyi obtained the watch, Phillips noted, after it was made in 1937 and sold to French retailer Guillermin.
A red paper fan inscribed by Puyi before he gifted the fan and watch to Permyakov also sold for an estimated $61,000.
Big Number
$31 million. That’s how much a Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A sold at an auction in 2019, the most expensive watch ever sold. The previous record was held by the Patek Philippe Henry Graves Jr. Supercomplication, which sold for $24 million in 2014.
Surprising Fact
Puyi’s watch is not the first Patek Philippe owned by a former monarch to be auctioned. A watch owned by Haile Selassie, who served as the emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974, sold for $2.9 million in 2017. The auction was challenged by Selassie’s grandson two years earlier, after he argued the watch was stolen from his family during a military coup in 1974, according to the Washington Post.
Key Background
Puyi became emperor of China in 1908 at 2 years old, though he was forced to abdicate the throne four years later, ending the Qing dynasty’s 276-year rule. The Japanese later installed him as the leader of Manchuria, a section of northeastern China that was occupied by Japan during World War II. He remained in Manchuria until 1945 when he was taken by the Soviet Union and sent to a detention camp. He returned to China in 1950. His life story was told in the 1987 film The Last Emperor, which won the 1988 Oscar for best picture. Patek Philippe was founded in 1939 and has been recognized for its intricate wristwatches and pocket watches, some of which have been given to royalty, including Queen Victoria, according to the manufacturer.
Further Reading
Phillips To Auction A Patek Owned By China’s Last Emperor (New York Times)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2023/05/23/heres-chinas-last-emperors-watch-which-sold-for-5-million/