The Last Emperor's Watch

A rare Patek Philippe Ref 96 Quantieme Lune is among several historic artefacts owned by the final emperor of the Qing dynasty that will be offered for auction by Phillips in association with Bacs & Russo

-  Alvin Wong

FAMOUSLY DRAMATISED IN The Last Emperor, Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1987 biographical movie on the final emperor of the Qing dynasty, AisinGiro Puyi’s life was one of immense, powerless regality—a journey that began in the palaces of the Forbidden City and ended in the harsh communist jails in the Soviet Union.

Indeed, Puyi had a life like no other. He became emperor at the age of three and got dethroned when the Japanese invaded China in 1945. Subsequently, he was held as a prisoner of war for five years in the Soviet Union. Puyi only returned to China as a ‘new citizen’ after Mao Zedong agreed to his repatriation when he visited the Soviet Union in 1950. Following his return to his homeland, Puyi served the government in a cultural capacity before his passing in 1967.