What is a watch if not an artefact of history? The Bao Dai Rolex holds its own unique history lesson following Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thụy, the 13th and last emperor of the Nguyễn Dynasty. Ascending the throne aged 12 in 1925, he was given the title of Bao Dai, meaning Keeper of Greatness, championing reforms across the judicial and educational systems, and looking to end more outdated values. Bao Dai exercised great interest in tasteful things, commissioning artisans to create one-of-a-kind creations for him from cars to boats.
When he attended the Geneva Conference in Geneva in 1954 – without knowing it would lead to the division of Vietnam – Bao Dai took to the streets to go shopping before coming across a nearby jeweller. He asked for the rarest and most valuable Rolex watch. The watch presented to him was the Ref. 6062 from the year 1952 – a yellow gold watch with a full calendar, which is a triple calendar displaying the date, day and month, as well as a moon phase complication.
Price: $5,060,427 (in 2017)