Kodak Agfa Presents : Watches at Alexandria’s Royal Jewelry Museum

Egypt’s Royal Jewelry Museum got too many beautiful items and things that will make anyone blogger or journalist or photojournalist wonder which item or thing to post from it first.
Located in Alexandria, the museum got beautiful things to share whether its beautiful architecture or its history or its content from items that used to be owned by members of the Mohamed Ali Royal Family.
According to official statements, the Museum hosts 11,500 pieces or items previously owned by the members of the Mohamed Ali Royal Family that ruled Egypt from 1805 till 1952.
In May, Egyptian Chronicles presented a small post featuring the royal orders in the Museum.
Now, this post will feature a beautiful small collection of watches at that Museum.
Like for example, this beautiful watch owned once by King Farouk’s first wife Queen Farida.

Queen Farida's watch

Despite its black strap, that watch is encrusted with diamonds and emeralds.
That watch overshadowed the other watch on the left made off the leather strap and big golden body.

If you remember one of King Farouk’s watches, a-Patek Philippe watch was sold in a Christie’s auction in Dubai in March for US$ 912,500 ( LE 16.3 Million) to a phone buyer.
Most of the watches owned by members of the Egyptian Royal family had a similar fate. The few survived and made it to that small museum in Alexandria.
There are not too many wrist watches in the museum but there is a nice collection of gold pocket watches.

Golden pocket watches 

Some of those golden watches were made in the 19th century for a number of Egypt’s rulers and their wives.

I think the one in the middle got the name of King Farouk encrusted with diamonds on it 

All of those watches were custom-made for the Egyptian Royal family in Europe.

I tried to understand what was written on that watch but I failed

I am trying to make out what is written on that watch but I have failed so miserably.

Ellhamy Hussein Pasha's name encrusted with diamonds in Arabic 

That beautiful painted golden watch was owned by Ellhamy Hussein Pasha.
His first name was encrusted by diamonds on the watch.
Ellhamy Hussein Pasha was Princess Shivakiar’s fifth husband.
Princess Shivakiar was King Fouad I or to be accurate Prince Fouad’s first wife.
Princess Shivakiar had a marvelous collection of jewelry at the Museum that deserves a standalone post.
Here is another beautiful pocket painted golden watch.

I like this pocket watch so much

The kind of precession in drawing and the fact that it is keeping its beauty after maybe a hundred years is amazing.

Khedive Tawfik on a pocket watch

Here is Khedive Tawfik’s Golden pocket watch with his face painted on it.
Needless to say, we considered Khedive Tawfik as the worst ruler of Egypt in the modern history as he welcomed and supported the British occupation to the country ousting his father Khedive Ismail.

Ibrahim Pasha's golden watch

Here is Ibrahim Pasha’s Golden watch. I think the effect of time is shown in the painting depicting the Egyptian army’s greatest commander in the modern age.

I think the painted scene on the watch on the left depicts a war from Bonaparte's wars

Those two golden pocket watches are also beautiful.
On the left, the painting on the golden watch depicts a scene from Napoleon Bonaparte’s wars.
While on the right, there is a beautiful gold watch that once was owned by Khedive Saeed of Egypt with his face painted on it.

Egypt and Turkey or rather Ottoman Empire golden watch

I do not know the exact history of that golden pocket watch but it got both Turkey or Ottoman Empire flag and Egypt’s flag on it.

A very big pocket watch

I do not remember who owned that big red pocket watch but it is so big to the level I can’t imagine how to attached it the clothes easily.
and last in our collection, that snuffbox encrusted with diamonds and a clock.

A snuff box and a clock at the same time 

I think that was from Sultana Melek’s collection.
In May 2002, Christie’s sold in Geneva a group of an Art Deco Jewelry in Switzerland for CHF 8,365 “LE 150,737” including a-Movada Ermento-watch owned by King Farouk.

The watch above was owned
by King Farouk 

In November of the same year, Christie’s sold another pocket watch in London mostly probably was owned by King Farouk. It was made by Swiss Gübelin circa 1940. 

The golden watch with the Egyptian crown and "F"
on its back

A golden open faced pocket watch, it has the Egyptian crown and letter “F” on its back.
It was sold for GBP 4,780 “LE 112,862”
Three years later in May 2005, Christie’s sold in Geneva also a pocket watch or rather a dress watch previously owned by King Fouad I for CHF 40,800 “LE 734,872”.

The watch with the emblem
Is it Farouk or Fouad? 

Made specifically for King Fouad I by Paris-based Breguet luxury watches house, the watch was made of 18k gold and silver carrying the emblem of either King Fouad I or King Farouk. Christie’s says that it is an emblem of Farouk but I believe it is his father’s.

It is unclear how that watch ended to be under the hammer in an auction house in Geneva in 2006.
Those are few examples of watches owned by the former ruling family of Egypt.

Three things for sure one must remember when he or she reads this post, the members of the Mohamed Ali Royal Family loved their watches to be fancy and the Post-1952 coup presidents and their government could not keep the Egyptian National history’s heritage as they should.

There are more Egyptian Royal family’s watches out there in the world when they should be exhibited in that small palace turned in to a museum in Alexandria.