LUDWIG II’S POCKET WATCH 195
T
his 19th-century pocket
watch bearing a crown
and monogram on the
front, and a horse’s
head on the reverse, was
most likely made for King
Ludwig II of Bavaria, an
eccentric and controversial
figure who died in strange
circumstances.
The pocket watch was
made in around 1880 and
consists of gold, enamel,
diamond, and ruby, with a
matching chain and fob seal.
An applied gold-mounted, diamond-set
entwined monogram of Ludwig II,
surmounted by his crown, adorns the front
of the case. On the reverse of the watch, is
a silver-mounted, pavé-set diamond horse’s
head, with ruby-set eye: this elaborate
decoration acknowledges Ludwig’s
passion for horses. The gold-link chain
of textured knots and four turquoise-
and diamond-set, barrel-shaped
links, representing the Bavarian
coat-of-arms, terminates in a fob
seal of a gold horse leaping from
a turquoise cabochon.
Ludwig II was just 18 years
old when he took the throne.
Young and good-looking,
he was popular in Bavaria,
but was little concerned
with affairs of state, instead
commissioning fanciful
constructions such as the fairy-tale
Neuschwanstein Castle. His ministers
deposed him by having him declared
mentally unsound in 1886, and Ludwig
was removed to Castle Berg on Lake
Starnberg on 12 June. The next day, his
body was found in shallow
water with that of his minder,
Dr von Gudden. His watch
had stopped at 6:54pm.
Although suicide by drowning
was reported as the cause of
death, no water was found
in his lungs, and his death
remains unexplained. This
watch – not the one present
at his death – was auctioned
in 2007.
Key dates
1806–2007
1800
1825
1850
1875
1950
1869 Construction
begins on fairy-tale
Neuschwanstein
Castle, the shy king’s
prospective retreat
2000
1900
Ludwig II’s pocket watch
The music room at Neuschwanstein Castle, the lavish 19th-century castle,
still open to visitors today, that was one of Ludwig II’s pet projects and where he
intended to hide from the public eye
△ The front of the watch casing, showing the king’s monogram
2007 Ludwig’s pocket
watch is auctioned by
Christie’s in Switzerland
1806 Bavaria
becomes a
kingdom
1845 Ludwig Otto
Friedrich Wilhelm is
born on 25 August
Ludwig II of Bavaria, who ruled
the country from 1864 until his
deposition in 1886
Neuschwanstein
Castle, in Bavaria
1886 On 12 June,
Ludwig II’s ministers
have him declared
insane and transport
him to Castle Berg on
Lake Starnberg. The
next day, Ludwig and
his doctor, Dr von Gudden,
are found dead in the
lake’s shallow water in
suspicious circumstances
1864 Maximilian II dies,
and Ludwig II succeeds
his father, aged 18
c.1880 Ludwig II’s
presentation pocket
watch is created
1835 A new coat
of arms is created
for Bavaria
194-195_STO_Ludwig_Watch_Final.indd 195 19/05/2016 12:54