The Patek Philippe watch, which belongs to the last Emperor of China, Aisin-Gioro Puyi, whose life is the subject of the Oscar-winning movie “The Last Emperor”, has been auctioned by Phillips Asia Auction House in Hong Kong. The watch was purchased by an Asian collector for $6.2 million. Thomas Perazzi, Head of Watches at Phillips Asia Auction House, said in a statement that the price in question was the “highest price” for any wristwatch that belonged to an emperor.
GIFT THE WATCH TO ITS TRANSLATOR
In the statement made by Phillips Asia Auction House, it is stated that the watch is one of 8 known Reference 96 Quantieme Lune models produced by Patek Philippe, and Japan’s World War II in 1945. It is reported that Puyi, who was taken prisoner by the Soviet Union after his defeat in World War II, presented the watch to the Russian translator Georgy Permyakov.
3 YEARS OF RESEARCH FOR THE WATCH
In the statement, it was stated that three years of cooperation was made with watch experts, historians, journalists and scientists to investigate the history of the watch and verify its source. Puyi was imprisoned for five years in Khabarovsk, Russia, as a prisoner of war after his capture by the Soviet Union at China’s Shenyang Airport. Puyi’s translator, Georgy Permyakov, stated in an interview in 2001 that Puyi gave the watch to him on his last day in the Soviet Union, shortly before it was returned to China.
On the other hand, the Patek Philippe watch belonging to Haile Selassie, the last Emperor of Ethiopia, was sold for 2.9 million dollars in 2017, and a Rolex watch belonging to the last Emperor of Vietnam, Bao Dai, sold for 5 million dollars in 2017. (UAV)