Phillips, the British auction house, has just released details about its upcoming Geneva sale on the 13th and 14th of May. The timepiece most intriguing to us is the “Bao Dai” Rolex Reference 6062, manufactured in 1952, that once belonged to Bảo Đại, the last Emperor of the Vietnamese Nguyen dynasty. It carries a pre-sale estimate of over US$1.5 million. When it was last acquired in 2002, it became the most expensive Rolex ever sold at auction.

Called one of “the most valuable and desirable Rolexes” it features a triple calendar, a moon-phase and the calibre 655 in-house automatic movement. The yellow gold “Bao Dai” is also the most complicated and iconic Rolex Oyster-cased model due to its diamond markers for even hours. This arrangement had a great impact on the whole design; the crown logo needed to be placed much lower than usual hence the moon-phase and chronometer line is uncommonly close.

The collecting community is waiting to know who will finally possess the “Bao Dai”, and how much that lucky party pays to own this imperial icon.