In a exceptional public sale occasion in Hong Kong, a uncommon luxurious watch that was as soon as owned by China’s final emperor, Aisin-Gioro Puyi, has fetched a record-breaking value of $6.2 million.
The beautiful piece, a Patek Philippe Reference 96 Quantieme Lune, is one in every of solely eight identified to exist. The six-minute bidding battle concluded with an Asian collector from Hong Kong securing the watch over the telephone. This sale units a brand new report for each wristwatches beforehand owned by an emperor.
The public sale was managed by Phillips, a London-based public sale home. Thomas Perazzi, Phillips’ head of watches for Asia, expressed delight on the profitable sale, stating that it was the results of greater than three years of rigorous analysis to substantiate the watch’s provenance. He added that this achievement establishes Hong Kong as a premier hub for fantastic watches and extremely vital collectible timepieces.
The 86-year-old timepiece has an interesting historical past. It was given by Puyi, the final emperor of the Qing Dynasty, to his Russian interpreter Georgy Permyakov throughout his imprisonment within the Soviet Union after World Warfare II. The precise circumstances of how the watch got here into Puyi’s possession stays unclear.
Patek Philippe watches have lengthy been sought-after by collectors. In 2019, a one-of-a-kind Grandmaster Chime from the Swiss producer grew to become the costliest watch ever offered at public sale, commanding a value of $31.2 million.
Watchmaker John Ng, a distinguished determine in Hong Kong, famous that the sale of the emperor’s watch could result in a brand new development out there. He instructed that smaller and extra intricate timepieces would possibly garner elevated consideration, contemplating the present recognition of bigger, minimalist watches.