Savonnette pocket watch in 18k (750) yellow gold presented to General de Gaulle by the Bey of Tunis Swiss Work No. 242802 Hinged round case, gold bowl with technical markings and numbering, front and back engraved with foliate and stylised motifs, inscription "Muhammad Al Amin Pasha 1298" on back and handwritten inscription "En souvenir au Général De Gaulle Tunis 7 Mai 1944" engraved on inside of cover. White enamel dial with Roman numerals, stylised hands, railway minute track and small second hand, signed. Mechanical movement with crown winding (a complete overhaul is required). D. 60 mm Gross weight: 136 g History : By family tradition, this watch is said to have been presented by the Bey of Tunis to General de Gaulle on 7 May 1944 to celebrate the first anniversary of the liberation of the city of Tunis. Made in Switzerland towards the end of the 19th century, it is typical of Swiss watches produced especially for the Ottoman Empire market and bears the inscription "Muhammad Al Amin Pasha 1298" on the back. The calligraphy corresponds to that of the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire, and the date 1298 corresponds to that of Sultan Abdülhamid II. However, this Thugra does not correspond to that of a Sultan, but perhaps to that of a local Pasha in Tunisia at the end of the 19th century, as Tunisia was then part of the Ottoman Empire. The title "Bey" dates back to the time of the Ottoman Empire (1299-1923), and could be translated today as "Prefect of the region". A great lover of watches, the Bey of Tunis also gave General de Gaulle a wristwatch with a cloisonné enamel dial in his effigy. This watch, on which he appears in full regalia, is now in the Patek Philippe Museum (Inv. P-841). Provenance : - Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970) - Then Admiral Philippe de Gaulle (1921-2024) - Then descendants