King Farouk’s timepiece sold at new record

CAIRO – 24 March 2018: King Farouk’s (1920-1965) personalized Patek Philippe, Reference 1518 timepiece was auctioned off at the Dubai Watch Auction for $912,500 on Friday, a record amount in the Middle East.

The historic timepiece had a pre-sale estimate of $400,000-800,000; on the back of the case it includes a personalized engraving of the Royal Crown of Egypt, with its three stars and half-moon (also found on the Egyptian flag), and the letter "F", which King Farouk's father considered his lucky letter, so that he chose names starting with the letter "F" for all of his six children.

“King Farouk’s Patek Phillipe, Reference 1518 is a crowning element of Christie’s Dubai watch sale next month – it is a storied piece with provenance from the Middle Eastern region and is already attracting tremendous interest from the region and beyond,” said Remy Julia, head of watches for Christie’s Middle East, India and Africa, said in a press release.


King Farouk of Egypt’s personalized Patek Philippe - Photo courtesy of Christie’s

King Farouk was the tenth ruler from the Muhammad Ali Dynasty; he held his status for 16 years. King Farouk was the penultimate King of Egypt and Sudan and a renowned collector of fine watches, a passion that was passed down to him from his father.

He had commissioned many of the greatest watchmakers at the time to create for him a one-of-a-kind timepiece such as the Patek Philippe, Reference 1518, which was launched in 1941. The Patek Philippe, Reference 1518 is a timepiece that is celebrated as the first perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch to be produced in a series by any watch company. It is said that only 281 pieces were created.

The auction sales totaled $7.1 million, exceeding the original estimate of $5 million to $8 million.