Before Selfies, This Maharaja Had His Portrait Painted On A Swiss Watch

Luxury watches are common today. But a century ago, one Indian Maharaja took the idea to another level. He had his own face painted on them.

The rulers of Patiala were among the world’s biggest luxury spenders, commissioning everything from spectacular jewels to custom-made automobiles.

Their watches were no exception.

These weren’t ordinary timepieces. They were handcrafted Swiss masterpieces decorated with miniature enamel portraits, royal crests and precious metals.

Part watch. Part artwork. Part royal statement.

Among the most famous was a gold pocket watch commissioned for Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala around 1930.

The front featured a finely painted enamel portrait of the Maharaja himself. Turn it over, and the Patiala coat of arms appeared

on the reverse.

Inside was an advanced minute-repeating mechanism—one of the most sophisticated watch complications of its time.

This wasn’t just luxury. It was horological royalty.

The watch later surfaced at a Christie’s auction, where collectors and historians marvelled at its craftsmanship and rarity.

For Bhupinder Singh, however, it was perfectly on brand.

This was the same Maharaja who commissioned the legendary Patiala Necklace from Cartier and amassed one of the most spectacular jewellery collections in the world.

Owning extraordinary watches was simply another extension of his passion for the finest things money could buy.

The family’s fascination with portrait watches began even earlier.

Around 1895, an exquisite watch featuring an enamel portrait of Maharaja Rajendra Singh, Bhupinder Singh’s father, was created for the Patiala court.

The miniature portrait was painted by renowned Geneva enamel artist John Graff, whose work was highly prized by Indian royalty.

Using photographs sent from India, Graff became famous for creating astonishingly lifelike portraits on watch cases no larger than a palm.

Today, these watches are more than collectibles.

They are tiny time capsules from an era when India’s princes were among the most influential clients of Europe’s luxury houses.

And perhaps that’s what makes them so fascinating.

After all, not many people can say they carried a Swiss watch with their own portrait painted on the front. But then again, not many people were Maharajas of Patiala.