A thread of watches with Egyptian provenance:

I'll start with the most famous one, King Farouk's Patek Philippe 1518. The 1518 is one of the most sought after watches by any brand for many reasons, including it's sheer beauty. The watch was last sold by Christie's for $912,500.

Next up is this beautiful Patek Philippe Ref. 1593, which featured a cloisonné enamel dial of the map of Egypt and the Sudan with two diamonds to mark Cairo and Khartoum. I was told that this watch currently resides with a prominent Egyptian collector based in Chicago.

My personal favorite: This rare pink gold wristwatch with enamel dial was made for King Farouk in 1951, one year before the "revolution". The enamel dial was beautifully decorated with the King Farouk's Coat of Arms. This watch was sold by Sotheby’s for $28,125.

The Vacheron Constantin King Farouk I was given to King Farouk as a gift from Swiss Authorities in 1935 (he was 15 at the time). The watched houses 15 complications, and was until 2005 the most complicated watch made by Vacheron Constantin. It was sold for $1.5 mn in 1994.

The Vacheron Constantin King Fuad I was also commissioned by the Swiss Community of Egypt as a gift to King Fouad. The watch has 13 complications and took 15 years to develop. The watch sold by Antiquorum in 2005 to a private collector for a whopping 3,306,250 swiss francs

The history on this one is kind of dicey. The "Egiziano Piccolo" or "Little Egyptian" is said to be a direct commission by the Egyptian Navy from Panerai. The watch has a Rolex movement. There are as little as 15 known to the world but some experts doubt its authenticity.

Next up is the Panerai GPF 2/56, nicknamed “Big Egyptian” due to its monstrous size of 60mm. Unlike it's smaller cousin, this one is accepted by experts to be of Egyptian provenance. I personally know Egyptian watch dealers who've bought several of it in navy-sanctioned auctions.

This one was an Instagram find. It's a Rolex Submariner ref. 1680 with an Arabic date wheel. The watch was first sold by Elegance, a now defunct authorized dealer of Swiss watches, located in Roxy. When I found it, it was up for sale by a dealer located in Italy for $28,000.

Another favorite of mine is this beautiful enamel-dial desk clock delivered to King Fuad I in Dec 1925. It was sold by Phillips in 2019 for 50k francs (it had an original estimate of 10-15k). Phillips made a mistake in the catalog, confusing King Fuad II with King Farouk I.

Ok so I'm very excited about this one. This is a Rolex Submariner ref. 6200 with explorer dial. It is fresh to market after being "unearthed in a souk in the streets of Cairo in 'barn-find' condition." It will be sold next week by Phillips and has an estimate of $257,000-515,000.

Fun fact about King Farouk:

He was an informed collector. On a trip to Geneva, he insisted on visiting Vacheron Constantin. He was given a tour by Charles Constantin, who was impressed with his knowledge of horology. He said "I dismantled so many watches when I was a child"