A Rolex Watch Breaks Record Price
November 21, 02
A 1952 "Oyster Perpetual” Rolex wristwatch sold for a record 342,000 Swiss francs ($235,181) on Monday in Geneva. The wristwatch once belonged to the former Emperor of Vietnam Bao Dai.
The buyer was not identified by the Phillips auction house. Emperor Bao Dai bought the watch, one of only three made with a black dial and diamond indexes, at a Rolex boutique in Geneva in 1954. At the time he was taking part in peace talks to end France's war in Vietnam.
The record sale price for a wristwatch of any make was paid in April for a 1939 Patek Philippe "World Time" watch, which sold for $4 million by the Antiquorum auction house.