Collecting
Egypt’s King Farouk Patek Watch Sets Middle East Auction Record
It was a banner close to the auction season in the region.
Huguette Caland’s Good Luck, 2009.
Source: Christie’s
A Patek Philippe watch made for King Farouk of Egypt in 1944 sold to an unidentified buyer for $912,500 at Christie’s in Dubai on Friday, a record sum for a timepiece auctioned in the Middle East.
The 18-carat gold Patek Philippe Ref. 1518 was estimated to be worth as much as $800,000 by the auction house, which concluded its 23rd auction season in the region. A Rolex GMT-Master made for Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum fetched $162,500, surpassing the estimate of $120,000-$160,000. The sales total for the auction was $7.1 million, compared with an estimate of $5 million to $8 million.