PATEK PHILIPPE Pocket watch in 18k (750) pink gold presented by Ferdinand 1st, Prince of Bulgaria Case No. 203631 Movement No. 85570 Sold on 17 July 1890 to the Prince of Bulgaria Case: round on hinge, gold bowl signed, back with coat of arms and royal crown, signed Dial: White enamel with hour markers, Roman numerals for the hours and Arabic numerals for the minutes, stylised hands, minute track, signed Movement: mechanical with crown winding system, anchor escapement, advance and delay adjustment, signed Diameter: 30 mm Gross weight: 28.2 g With: a letter from the Manufacture Patek Philippe dated 10 January 1973 giving the following information: "... the watch of our manufacture bearing No. 85570 was made in 1889-90. It was sold on 17 July 1890 to the Prince of Bulgaria' ...". Provenance : - Presumed gift from Prince Ferdinand I of Bulgaria to his first wife Princess Marie-Louise de Bourbon-Parme ; - To his lady-in-waiting ; - By descent to the present owner Patek Philippe 18k (750) rose gold pocket watch, gifted by Ferdinand I, Prince of Bulgaria This present-day watch is very similar to the one exhibited in the royal watches section of the Patek Philippe museum in Geneva (Inv. P 1484). The ties between Ferdinand I of Bulgaria and Patek Philippe bear witness to a shared refinement and admiration for watchmaking excellence. A visionary sovereign with a passion for the arts, Ferdinand I chose Patek Philippe for its exceptional expertise and the incomparable quality of its watches. Ferdinand I, born into the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha family in Vienna in 1861, grew up at the heart of the European aristocracy. His education, shared between Germany, France and Austria, nurtured a marked taste for the arts, botany and ornithology from an early age. After becoming Prince of Bulgaria in 1887, Ferdinand used his love of art to help modernise the country. He encouraged the creation of cultural institutions, encouraged international artists to come to Sofia and developed the natural sciences, while promoting Bulgaria's heritage. His patronage attracted European scholars, artists and intellectuals to the court. Passionate about exceptional objects, Ferdinand favoured prestige watchmaking. In particular, he commissioned unique watches from Patek Philippe. The pink gold pocket watch, given as a gift by the Prince, illustrates both the taste for timeless beauty and the prestige conferred by the Geneva signature at the end of the 19th century. This gesture of distinction is part of a tradition in which Patek Philippe watches were much more than simple instruments for measuring time: they symbolised modernity and membership of the most enlightened circles in monarchical Europe. Over the decades, Patek Philippe has won prestigious royal commissions, confirming its status as a preferred supplier to European and Asian dynasties. The company has produced unique timepieces for various crowned heads, including Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, who were among the very first to adopt the crown-winding system patented by Adrien Philippe at the Universal Exhibition in London in 1851.