On June 19, Geneva’s Piguet auction house will offer collectors and connoisseurs a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire a hitherto unseen Fabergé desk clock. Signed by the legendary House of Fabergé and dated 1907, it bears the hallmark of master goldsmith Henrik Wigström, the artistic force behind many of Fabergé’s most refined objets d’art. Created during the reign of Nicholas II, the last Tsar of Russia, this exquisite piece captures the essence of Imperial craftsmanship at its peak.

Its form is deceptively modest: a rectangular desk clock. Yet exquisite details lie within the radiant frame of yellow gold encircled with a frieze of rais-de-cœur (heart-shaped motifs). The case is enrobed in a wave of blue guilloché enamel, its sheen interrupted only by delicately painted garlands of leaves, while vertical white enamel fluting adds contrast.

A halo of pearls encircles the white enamel dial, on which Arabic numerals are painted in black, with ornamental rose gold hands, pierced with scrolling filigree, gestures to the main hours.

But the real treasure lies in its provenance. The clock is believed to have been a birthday gift in 1908 for Princess Ingeborg of Denmark (niece of the Russian Empress Maria Feodorovna), and was later passed to her daughter, Queen Astrid of Belgium. It remained within the family for generations, eventually in the hands of Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg, Queen Astrid’s daughter, who lent the piece to the landmark Fabergé retrospective in Munich’s Kunsthalle in 1986–1987.

Bernard Piguet, auctioneer of the sale and founder of Piguet Auction House, shared, “It is an incredible privilege to earn the trust of Europe’s greatest aristocratic families, but also a great responsibility to find the right setting so that these prestigious objects may continue their journey with a new owner worthy of their history.”

Collectors will have their chance when the gavel falls on Thursday, June 19, in Geneva, both in person and online. Explore the highlights from the June 2025 sale here.

Piguet June 2025 Auction

Online-only sale: June 5 to June 19, 2025
Live & in-room auctions: June 18 and 19, 2025, 6:00 PM CET
Online catalogue available: June 5, 2025