By Joyce Zhou and Jessie PangHONG KONG (Reuters) - A watch that was once owned by the last emperor of China's Qing Dynasty, whose life formed the basis of the Oscar-winning film "The Last Emperor," sold for a record HK$49 million ($6.2 million) at a Hong Kong auction on Tuesday. An Asian collector residing in Hong Kong calling on the phone bought the rare Patek Philippe watch that had belonged to Aisin-Gioro Puyi, according to the auction house. The hammer price, which excludes the buyer's premium fee, was HK$40 million ($5.1 million). Other watches owned by emperors and sold at auction include a Patek Philippe timepiece that belonged to the last Ethiopian emperor, Haile Selassie, which sold for $2.9 million in 2017. A Rolex watch that belonged to the last emperor of Vietnam, Bao Dai, fetched $5 million at an auction in 2017.

Source: Ethiopian News May 24, 2023 03:16 UTC