King Farouk's Prized Wristwatch To Go On Auction In Dubai

In a spot of timely news, King Farouk’s prized Patek Philippe wristwatch will soon be up for grabs on Christie’s watches & wristwatches auction over in Dubai, giving folks with enough spending power (and a lack of time on their wrists) the opportunity to snag a piece of royal times gone by (literally) on the 23^rd of March. Preliminary estimates for the watches value place it somewhere in the neighbourhood of between $ 400,000 and $ 800,000 (try guessing how many Ice Watches that gets you).

To say that King Farouk had a thing for the finer things in life would be an understatement, since he was known for his lavish European shopping sprees and royal lifestyle, but what was most precious to him was a deep love of horology, a facet he had gained from his father, King Fouad.

The watch isn’t known for just previously belonging to royalty; it was the world’s first serially produced perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch, which when translated into English means a big deal in the watch world. An authentic Patek Philippe Reference 1518, it was personalised to fit the then-monarch’s family standard; with the case back bearing a unique engraving of the Royal Crown of Egypt, a half-moon and three stars (Egypt’s flag at the time) and his initial “F”. Fun fact: King Fouad had a somewhat superstitious belief that the letter F brings good luck, going on to name all of his six children beginning with the fortunate letter.

It wasn’t the first time the watch went up for sale either; having previously been sold in Patek Philipe’s 175^th Anniversary Sale in Geneva, and staying in a private collection till mid-2014, winding up on Christie’s auction at the time. The watch wasn’t the only example of Patek Philippe’s craftsmanship in the King’s possession either; another timeless clockwork was the Reference 1593, which featured a Cloisonné enamel dial of a map of Egypt and Sudan, represented by two diamonds that accurately reflect the geographical distance between the two Cairo and Khartoum.