Watch owned by China's last emperor sells for $6.23 million

The personal effects of Pu Yi, the last of the Qing Dynasty, were on display at a special Phillips auction held on May 23 in Hong Kong.

The most expensive lot of the historical auction was a Patek Philippe watch in a platinum case, which belonged to the last emperor of China. The watch was sold for HKD 48,850,000 ($6.23 million), making it the most expensive watch sold at auction in 2023 and the eighth most valuable vintage wristwatch in watch trading history.

Pay attention to the dial, it has an interesting feature. In October 1937, Pu Yi wondered if the dial was made of solid gold. To check, he ordered to scrape off the varnish and coating from the dial. Seeing ordinary brass in the process, the emperor was disappointed and ordered to stop the process.
  As a result, part of the coating was removed from the dial, which gives an interesting detail in the history of this watch.