Phillips to Auction a Patek Philippe Owned by Aisin-Gioro Puyi, the Last Emperor of China

Last week, news of the latest marquee lot to go under the hammer via Phillips broke across watch media. The phrase “historically significant” is often used to describe high profile vintage watches that go up for auction, but very few actually feel truly historic. I would argue that this particular Patek Philippe, a watch that once belonged to Aisin-Gioro Puyi, the Last Emperor of the Qing Dynasty, meets just about any definition for historically significant that you can come up with. Not only did it belong to a figure from our relatively recent history that marked a profound change in a nation’s history, but in terms of vintage Patek, this complicated Calatrava is worth studying even outside the scope of its significant owner. 

If you’re not familiar with Puyi’s story, a brief introduction or refresher is certainly in order to properly contextualize the watch. Aisin-Gioro Puyi became the Emperor of China at the age of 2, abdicated his throne at 7, and was held as a political prisoner by the Soviets following World War II. Puyi led an uncommon and complex life through a period of great political upheaval, but it’s notable that despite the title of Emperor that was thrust upon him as a boy, he never held significant power as a world leader. In his brief stint as the final Emperor of the Qing Dynasty he was essentially a figurehead, and later served as the puppet leader of Manchukuo for the Japanese following their invasion of Manchuria in 1932. Puyi is seen by some historians as a bridge between feudal and modern China, an idea that became the central theme of The Last Emperor, the 1987 film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci that chronicles Puyi’s life. 

That film, by the way, is worth watching. It’s an old-style epic, the type that is rarely made these days outside of special effects extravaganzas. It was the first western film that the Chinese allowed to be shot in the Forbidden City, a palace complex dating to the 15th century, and the childhood home of Puyi. The film also spends time with Puyi while he’s held prisoner in the USSR, which is the period of his life when the Patek reference 96 coming for auction comes into play. 

According to Phillips, while Puyi was held in a detention camp, he developed a close friendship with his interpreter, Georgy Permyakov. Later, following his release and repatriation, Puyi gifted the watch to Permyakov. The small Calatrava (it’s just 30mm in diameter) has a triple date display and moonphase, with a case made from platinum. 

To say these watches are incredibly rare would be a bit of an understatement. This example dates to 1937, and is one of just eight watches of this reference with this precise combination of complications. Furthermore, only two other watches with this exact dial configuration are known to exist, one in a private collection and the other in the Patek Philippe Museum. It’s important to remember that in the 1930s, the market for complicated wrist watches was incredibly small, with firms like Patek making them on what essentially amounted to a special order basis. There’s some interesting symmetry here between Puyi’s own life and what was happening in watchmaking at the time; just as Puyi can be thought of as a transitional figure in Chinese history, watches were being worn increasingly on the wrist in the 1920s and 1930s. 

Puyi’s reference 96 has an attractive dial layout which must have felt quite contemporary at the time it was produced. It has what Patek refers to as a “Roulette” Arabic numeral layout, with distinct sectors separating the hours from the date, which is indicated at the dial’s perimeter. The dial is well balanced, with a subsidiary seconds display at 6:00, apertures for the month and day at the center, and a moon phase display near 12:00. 

No auction date has been set for Puyi’s reference 96, but it is expected to go up for sale later this year, following an international tour where it will be on view to the public. For more information, check out the Phillips website here.