Bhai,
Spring of 1954, Geneva. Following the Indochina war, the world powers meet in Switzerland to negotiate with the Viet Minh on the future of Vietnam. During a recess, a man steps out of the Hotel des Bergues, where informal negotiations were taking place, to get some fresh air. He doesn't know it yet, but his country will soon be split in two and he will be known as the Last Emperor of Vietnam.
He decides to take a stroll but his footsteps take him only across the street to Chronomètrie Philippe Beguin, a famed Rolex retailer. The Emperor's request to the staff is a simple one. He wants the rarest and most precious Rolex ever made. Before the numerous refusals of the different models presented to him, Rolex is called to the rescue and a clerk is rapidly dispatched from the Rolex workshops in the outskirts of Geneva, bringing with him a rare timepiece: the Rolex reference 6062 in yellow gold, with a black dial and diamond indexes.
A timepiece that will forever be associated with the Last Emperor of Vietnam, even taking his name: Bao Dai.
Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thụy was the 13th and last emperor of the Nguyễn Dynasty. It was not until he ascended the throne in 1925 at age 12 that he was granted the title of Bao Dai — Keeper of Greatness. Bao Dai championed reforms in the judicial and educational systems, and tried to end the more outdated trappings of Vietnamese royalty. He ended the ancient Mandarin custom that once required aides to touch their foreheads to the ground when addressing the Emperor.
Not only a man of wealth, Bao Dai was also a man of taste. He commissioned the greatest artisans of the time to create superb unique creations fit for an Emperor, may it be a villa, private yacht or car. (He notably owned a famed Ferrari 375 MM Spyder rebodied by Scaglietti to a blue/silver Tour de France.) He wanted the best, and had the eye and finesse to recognize it.
The Bao Dai Rolex
Returning to auction this May: A world-famous, diamond-encrusted Rolex 6062 was commissioned directly by the last Emperor of Vietnam, known as the Bao Dai (or Keeper of Greatness), in 1954 Geneva.
Spring of 1954, Geneva. Following the Indochina war, the world powers meet in Switzerland to negotiate with the Viet Minh on the future of Vietnam. During a recess, a man steps out of the Hotel des Bergues, where informal negotiations were taking place, to get some fresh air. He doesn't know it yet, but his country will soon be split in two and he will be known as the Last Emperor of Vietnam.
He decides to take a stroll but his footsteps take him only across the street to Chronomètrie Philippe Beguin, a famed Rolex retailer. The Emperor's request to the staff is a simple one. He wants the rarest and most precious Rolex ever made. Before the numerous refusals of the different models presented to him, Rolex is called to the rescue and a clerk is rapidly dispatched from the Rolex workshops in the outskirts of Geneva, bringing with him a rare timepiece: the Rolex reference 6062 in yellow gold, with a black dial and diamond indexes.
A timepiece that will forever be associated with the Last Emperor of Vietnam, even taking his name: Bao Dai.
Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thụy was the 13th and last emperor of the Nguyễn Dynasty. It was not until he ascended the throne in 1925 at age 12 that he was granted the title of Bao Dai — Keeper of Greatness. Bao Dai championed reforms in the judicial and educational systems, and tried to end the more outdated trappings of Vietnamese royalty. He ended the ancient Mandarin custom that once required aides to touch their foreheads to the ground when addressing the Emperor.
Not only a man of wealth, Bao Dai was also a man of taste. He commissioned the greatest artisans of the time to create superb unique creations fit for an Emperor, may it be a villa, private yacht or car. (He notably owned a famed Ferrari 375 MM Spyder rebodied by Scaglietti to a blue/silver Tour de France.) He wanted the best, and had the eye and finesse to recognize it.
You've decided to be honest person and stop all the charade and pretense! Well, good on you!
