The shadows of the clouds and lakes are long and the sun is long, and things change and stars move for several degrees of autumn. The newly completed Phillips Asian Headquarters in Hong Kong welcomes a distinguished guest from afar. The Patek Philippe model 96 Quantieme Lune, which was once collected by the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Puyi, has attracted much attention. After exhibiting in New York, Singapore, London, Taipei and Geneva, this watch and some other collections of Puyi, together Come to Phillips' Asian headquarters in Hong Kong and be featured in the auction at the opening ceremony.
A Patek Philippe model 96 Quantieme Lune watch, a paper fan with inscriptions, a notebook full of manuscripts, and a leather-covered Analects…As the camera slowly zooms in, the unique fragrance and heaviness of history hits the face at the same time , Through the boundaries of time and the shackles of space, we are fortunate to witness this extraordinary legendary watch.
Puyi, the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty
As the true first of its kind, the Patek Philippe 96 series is extremely legendary. The launch of this watch is of great significance to Patek Philippe's brand heritage. This watch has a triple calendar function and can track the profit and loss of the moon phase. Previously, there were only seven known Patek Philippe 96 series watches with this complex function, and Puyi's watch was the eighth and entered the market for the first time.
The watch exhibited at Phillips this time is very rare. There have been two exact dial configurations before, including an enamel Arabic "roulette" configuration that only appeared briefly. The two that appear are platinum cases with consecutive movement numbers. One of them is now in the collection of the Patek Philippe Museum, and the other was sold to a private collector in 1996. This watch is like a time capsule, sealing everything about the year. Now that the fog is cleared, the treasures are now in the world, and the historical significance it contains is indescribable. While the watch remains in pristine condition, the patina is evenly and consistently distributed. It is the epitome of similar products and has a high reputation and influence in the industry.
A red fan with inscriptions and poems written by Puyi himself
In addition to the extraordinary collection value of the watch itself, the identity of the former owner of the watch is also a highlight. Emperor Puyi of the Qing Dynasty got the model 96, which he used to wear all day long. Puyi came to the throne at a young age, but encountered a major historical change and was pushed to the forefront, and lived a life of ups and downs. Puyi spent five years in a Siberian prisoner-of-war camp after World War II. In 1950, Puyi was allowed to return to China. It is rumored that he gave the watch to his close friend and Russian translator Georgy Permyakov the night before he left. The latter kept the watch until his death in 2005, after which it was passed on to his descendants. In 2019, his descendants entrusted the watch to Phillips for auction.
When the Phillips team first learned about the watch in 2019, its rarity shocked the entire team, but at the time they didn't know the owner of the watch. They began to trace the clues of their belongings, including a red fan with inscriptions, a manuscript notebook, a copy of "The Analects of Confucius" and several watercolor paintings of Puyi's brother-in-law, gradually outlining the tragic life of the last emperor in the treacherous and troubled times. In our lifetime, let us have the honor to have a glimpse of its appearance. Right and wrong success or failure turned around, the green hills remained the same, and the sunset turned red several times. Where is the emperor's son in the pavilion now? Outside the threshold, the Yangtze River flows by itself.
