23rd May 2023 (Hong Kong) In a historic auction held in Hong Kong today, a Patek Philippe watch once owned by the last emperor of China’s Qing Dynasty, Aisin-Gioro Puyi, has shattered records by selling for an astounding $6.2 million (HK$49 million). The timepiece, which Puyi gifted to his Russian interpreter during his imprisonment by the Soviet Union, was acquired by an anonymous buyer. With only eight known Patek Philippe Reference 96 Quantieme Lune watches in existence, the sale exceeded the pre-auction estimate of $3 million.
Thomas Perazzi, the head of watches at Phillips Asia, expressed that this achievement marked the highest price ever attained for a wristwatch formerly belonging to an emperor. Other watches once owned by emperors and sold at auctions include a Patek Philippe watch that belonged to the final Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie, which fetched $2.9 million in 2017, and a Rolex watch that belonged to the last Emperor of Vietnam, Bao Dai, selling for $5 million in the same year.
Aisin-Gioro Puyi, who ascended to the throne of China’s Qing dynasty at the age of two, was the country’s last emperor. Following Japan’s defeat in World War II, Puyi was captured by the Soviet Red Army at Shenyang Airport in China and subsequently held as a war prisoner. For a period of five years, he was confined in a detention camp in Khabarovsk, Russia. The watch that recently went up for auction was among several items that the emperor bestowed upon his Russian interpreter, Georgy Permyakov, on his final day in the Soviet Union before being extradited back to China. Permyakov diligently safeguarded the watch for over 70 years before deciding to put it up for sale.
The auction house dedicated three years to collaborating with watch specialists, historians, journalists, and scientists to meticulously research the watch’s history and authenticate its provenance. According to Perazzi, the timepiece represents the epitome of craftsmanship from Patek Philippe during that era, rendering it an exceptionally rare and highly coveted collector’s item.
