King Farouk watch is $800, who is the buyer?

Christie's revealed that the watch auction that it is preparing to hold in Dubai on March 23, 2018, includes a Patek Philippe watch from the personal belongings of King Farouk I, and the initial estimated value of the unique watch ranges between 400.000-800.000 US dollars. Christie's indicated the participation of about 180 elite watches in the auction, which will be presented to the public in a public exhibition that will be held from March 19 to 23 at the Emirates Towers Hotel in Dubai.

King Farouk I (1920-1965) is the great-grandson of Muhammad Ali Pasha, the tenth ruler of Egypt from the dynasty of Muhammad Ali Pasha, and the penultimate king of Egypt and Sudan.

King Farouk I ruled Egypt from 1936 until 1952, and was known for his passion for acquiring luxury watches. King Farouk I inherited this passion from his father, King Fouad I, and King Farouk I commissioned the most famous international watch houses at the time to manufacture watches for him, and this watch from Patek Philippe (reference number: 1518) is a testament to his high taste. This model was introduced by Patek Philippe in 1941, and it is estimated that 281 watches were made. Patek Philippe was the world's leading watchmaker in creating the first series of perpetual calendar chronographs, and the number 1518 indicates this.

The Swiss watch house added a personal touch to this masterpiece from King Farouk I’s possessions, as the crown of the Egyptian kingdom was engraved on its back, along with the star and crescent of the Egyptian flag and the letter F. It is said that King Fouad I was optimistic about the letter “F”, so he chose for his six sons names It begins with the letter "F", including his son, King Farouk I, the owner of this watch.

Remy Julia, Head of Watches at Christie’s for the Middle East, India and Africa, said: “We are already seeing a wide range of interest from collectors from countries in the region and abroad for a Patek Philippe watch owned by King Farouk I during Christie’s watch auction next month in Dubai. from the history of the Middle East.

He added, “Christie’s had sold this watch to a collector in a previous auction a few years ago, and Christie’s is pleased to entrust it with the King Farouk I watch again to pass on to a new generation of collectors.”

Along with King Farouk I's wristwatch, the upcoming Christie's auction includes extracts from the Patek Philippe archives confirming the production of this watch with gold indices in 1944 and its subsequent sale on November 7, 1945.

It is worth noting that Christie's watch auctions have witnessed a significant growth in the past few years in light of the growing interest in antique watches and the attraction of increasing numbers of collectors from the countries of the Middle East. On February 2, Christie's announced a 26% increase in global total sales in 2017, after reaching $5.1 billion ($6.6 billion, an increase of 21%), while total sales of its auctions in Europe and the Middle East reached 1.5 billion pounds. , an increase of 16% (US$2 billion, an increase of 11%).