VIDEO: The watch that belonged to the last emperor of China and was auctioned for almost R $ 30 million

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Model Reference 96 Quantieme Lune, manufactured by a Swiss company, was sold 70% above the initial expectation. Watch that belonged to the last emperor of China is auctioned for almost R$ 30 million A wristwatch from the Swiss company Patek Philippe, which belonged to the last emperor of China, was sold for more than US$ 6 million (about R$ 29, 8 million) at an auction held this Tuesday (23) in Hong Kong. The Reference 96 Quantieme Lune model originally belonged to Aisin-Gioro Puyi, the last monarch of the Chinese Qing Dynasty. Puyi became emperor in 1908, aged just two, and his life was immortalized in the Oscar-winning film “The Last Emperor,” directed by Bernardo Bertolucci. More than two decades later, Puyi was installed as emperor of the puppet state of Japanese-occupied Manchuria, before being captured in 1945 after the fall of Japan and taken to a Soviet prison camp. British auction house Phillips said it had documents showing Puyi took the watch into the countryside. The initial expectation was that the piece would be sold for around US$ 3 million (almost R$ 15 million). After five minutes of bidding, it ended up being sold for US$ 5.1 million (around R$ 25.3 million). Watch belonged to the last emperor of China and was auctioned for almost R$ 30 million. Peter Parks/AFP The watch model has a crown-shaped moon phase design on its dial. According to the memoirs of Puyi’s nephew Aisin-Gioro Yuyuan, the watch was a “personal possession” of the deposed emperor, who handed it over to his Russian interpreter for safekeeping when he left prison. Russell Working, a journalist who interviewed the Russian translator 20 years ago, told AFP that the elderly interpreter had no idea of ​​the piece’s value. “Suddenly, after so many years, it has emerged like a treasure box on the beach,” said Working, who was part of the research team for the auction. While it has significant historical value, this Patek Philippe is far from the most expensive watch ever sold at auction. In 2019, a Patek Philipe “Grandmaster Chime” sold for $31 million. This watch would be the most complex ever produced by luxury watchmaking.

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