Author: How is the market for women’s watches? Do women’s watches pay more attention to materials rather than functions? Jiao Mei: In recent years, the market for women’s watches has also been getting better and better. This may be related to the extension of modern women's fashion concepts. Many female customers are not limited to dressing up with jewelry, watches have also become one of the important choices. However, female customers mostly buy from the perspective of beauty. Good-looking appearance, unique design, inlaid with gems and diamonds, these are more important. Female customers won’t mind too much whether they have many complex functions in a watch.

Author: The production and consumption of watches originated in Europe. At present, almost all top watch brands come from Europe. For Asian customers, how has the luxury watch purchasing and collecting market changed in recent years?

Jiao Mei: Asians, especially Chinese, have a long-standing love for watches. The Qing court collected clocks and watches, so much so that Western craftsmen made pocket watches specifically to cater to Chinese tastes. In the past ten years, the Asian watch market has developed rapidly, especially complex function watches from top international brands, which have become increasingly popular. These brands began to conduct in-depth promotion in Asia and China and established a network of agents.

Correction is mainly discussed from the perspective of watches. But she also emphasized that exquisite antique pocket watches are also very rare and palace-level collections. Just because the quantity in existence is very small, and collectors are increasingly reluctant to sell them, there is very little circulation, and only fine products are occasionally released on the market.

This time, Christie's Hong Kong's exquisite watch auction includes three rare painted enamel and hand-carved pocket watches. These pocket watches were made especially for the Chinese market. The most eye-catching one is this Piguet Meylan, fine imitation watch which has a long history and is quite famous. It is made of gold, cloisonné enamel inlaid with small pearls, minute repeater, central second hand, and pomegranate-shaped pocket watch. It is said to be an imperial gift given to Emperor Qianlong by the British royal family. It was made around 1820 and is estimated to be worth HK$1.2 million to HK$2 million. According to documentary research, a pair of identical pocket watches can be traced back to the Qing Dynasty, and were given by the British royal family as a gift to the Chinese Emperor Qianlong.

At that time, King George III of the United Kingdom appointed George Macartney as the British Ambassador, and also appointed George Staunton as the deputy envoy. Together with other envoys, he formed a mission and was ordered to visit the Qing Dynasty. Therefore, this pair of pocket watches remained in China for nearly a century until the outbreak of the Revolution of 1911 in 1911, when the royal family fled and disappeared from the palace. In 1924,replica watch Emperor Puyi escaped from the Forbidden City, and according to legend, he took this pair of pocket watches with him.

In addition to witnessing the noble origins of history, this pair of precious pocket watches also has many remarkable features in its design and craftsmanship. Ms. Amy Chow, assistant vice president of Christie’s Hong Kong and expert in the watch department, answered the author’s detailed questions.