GIRARD-PERREGAUX, CHAUX-DE-FONDS | A VERY FINE AND POSSIBLY UNIQUE PINK GOLD AND PLATINUM OPEN-FACED MINUTE REPEATING KEYLESS LEVER WATCH, MADE FOR HH ISMAIL PASHA, KHEDIVE OF EGYPT AND SUDAN 1887, NO. 109141
Auction Closed
July 14, 12:35 PM GMT
Estimate
15,000 - 25,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
GIRARD-PERREGAUX, CHAUX-DE-FONDS
A VERY FINE AND POSSIBLY UNIQUE PINK GOLD AND PLATINUM OPEN-FACED MINUTE REPEATING KEYLESS LEVER WATCH, MADE FOR HH ISMAIL PASHA, KHEDIVE OF EGYPT AND SUDAN
1887, NO. 109141
damascened lever movement, cut and compensated bi-metallic balance, jewelled to the gold centre wheel, polished steel hammers striking on gongs, finely decoratively engraved silver dial with raised gold floral motifs, black Turkish numerals, subsidiary seconds with Turkish numerals, polished platinum and gold case with engraved monogram for HH Ismail Pasha, Khedive of Egypt and Sudan, cuvette signed Girard Perregaux, Chaux-de-Fonds, gold slide repeat button in the band, gold bow, case numbered 109141
diameter 53mm
Christie's Geneva, 17 November 2008, lot 253
Ismail Pasha (1830-1895) known as Ismail the Magnificent was Khedive of Egypt and Sudan from 1863 until 1879. Ismail spent lavishly both on infrastructure projects, agricultural development, education reform as well as palaces, and entertainment. Ultimately his spending led to a vast increase in the national debt. Ousted from power at the behest of the British in 1879, Ismail Pasha is perhaps best known for his part in the opening of the Suez canal in 1869.
Ismail Pasha had ten children including the future King Fouad I of Egypt who himself would father the future King Farouk. Following the forced abdication of King Farouk, the palace collections of Egypt were catalogued by Sotheby’s and sold by the Egyptian government in 1954, the extraordinary collection of the Egyptian royal family included a dazzling array of watches from all eras; amongst many others, these included a watch in the form of a star by David Ramsay (c.1625), a gold astronomical watch by George Margetts (1783), several watches by Breguet, sensational watches by Piguet & Meylan and two important and highly complicated watches by Vacheron Constantin (one of which was, at the time, Vacheron Constantin’s most complicated watch). There were several watches within the catalogue described as having the monogram, initials or portrait of Ismail Pasha decorating their cases. None appear to match the description of the present watch - by the time of its manufacture, Ismail Pasha had already been exiled from Egypt and was living in Sultan Abdülhamid II’s palace of Emigran on the Bosphorous in Constantinople. Nevertheless, Girard-Perregaux does appear to have been one of the Royal Family’s favoured brands as the 1954 Sotheby’s catalogue lists lot 228 as: “A superb and massive gold calendar watch in hunter case by Girard-Perregaux, Chaux-de-Fonds.”