Some watches are more than just objects.
They are real time capsules.
It is this type of timepiece steeped in history that Aurel Bacs, Indiana Jones of watchmaking and one of the most famous auctioneers in his sector, likes to bring out of oblivion.
With them reappears the life of those who once wore them in the best and worst moments of their existence.
This is the case of the Patek Philippe of the last Emperor of China (1906-1967), whose story was immortalized on the big screen in 1987 by Bernardo Bertolucci.
The watch of the sovereign who remained a prisoner of the Forbidden City, in the heart of Beijing, will be presented by the Phillips auction house, associated with Bacs & Russo, around the world before being put up for auction (on a date which will not is not yet finalized).
This rare piece is estimated at more than one million euros.
It must be said that beyond its unique provenance, this Reference 96 Quantième Lune from 1937 in platinum is also a legendary timepiece.
The forgotten Patek Philippe of the last emperor of China.
Phillips
"We don't know all the watches that sleep in drawers,"
says Aurel Bacs.
Here, as was the case with Paul Newman's Rolex Daytona, it was the watch that found us.
We didn't even know it existed.
Verifying such an exceptional story took us three years.
Thanks to the help of Patek Philippe, it was established that it was original.
Two identical copies, including one in the brand's museum, were known.
But no one imagined that there was a third!
In 1937, this man who reigned over more than 400 million inhabitants from the Forbidden City requested a watch from the famous Geneva manufacturer.
He was probably offered the most expensive of the time!
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The forgotten Patek Philippe of the last emperor of China.
Phillips
A watch, a paper fan, a handwritten notebook, watercolours, a bound edition of the Analects of Confucius... So many rediscovered memories of the life of a deposed emperor, who ascended the throne at the age of three, in 1908, and quickly placed under house arrest, growing up in complete ignorance of the outside world.
In 1945, another captivity began for him, once captured by the Red Army, after the surrender of Japanese forces.
The last emperor of the Qing dynasty will remain a prisoner for five years in the USSR.
Five years during which a Soviet official who spoke fluent Mandarin, Georgy Permyakov, served as his interpreter and tutor, until he became his friend.
The forgotten Patek Philippe of the last emperor of China.
Phillips
“Until his death in 2005, all the personal items that Puyi had given him had remained with him for 50 years. After his death, his heirs sold the watch to a European enthusiast who contacted us. That Puyi and his Russian translator have become friends, despite their differences in age, culture and origin, is a story as touching as it is unimaginable. »
