Last Vietnamese emperor's Rolex sells for US$5m

Zurich

A ROLEX that was owned by the last emperor of Vietnam became the Swiss watchmaker's most expensive wristwatch ever sold at auction, fetching US$5 million at Phillips as Geneva's spring auction season kicks off.

The Bao Dai, a Rolex that the late emperor bought during the Geneva peace negotiations in 1954, was sold to an unidentified phone bidder on Saturday, according to the auction house. The bidding war lasted eight minutes among 10 bidders in the room and three on the phone.