Cartier - The Hong Kong Watch Auction: TWO Hong Kong Monday, May 30, 2016 | Phillips
  • Manufacturer: Cartier
    Year: Circa 1950
    Reference No: With Cartier hand stamped reference number 02'278
    Movement No: 104'888
    Material: Yellow gold, platinum and diamonds
    Dimensions: 58.5 mm. width, 48 mm. depth and 93 mm. high
    Signed: Case numbered and signed Cartier Paris, movement signed
    Accessories: With original Cartier fitted presentation box.
    Literature: For another shutter clock by Cartier, please see The Cartier Collection by Flammarion, page 295.

  • Catalogue Essay

    The present miniature shutter clock is made from gold, platinum and diamonds. This clock may have been inspired by magic as the folding doors generate a shutter that hides the time. The present lot somehow mimics the trapped doors, creating an optical illusion to hide the time, just like an illusionist would conceal himself from an audience.

    Still retaining its original fitted presentation box, this clock is in exceptional and well preserved condition. The clock itself is very difficult to come by, or to locate in literature. There are earlier shutter clocks that can be found, however the present clock is manufactured to such a standard that it must have been made as a special request for an important client. The present clock is an extremely well executed example that could comfortably sit in the most important Cartier clock collections.

  • Artist Biography

    Cartier

    French

    With the Constitution of 1848 came a new standard for luxury in France. Founded one year prior by Louis-Francois Cartier, the house of Cartier was one of the first to use platinum in jewelry making. This incredibly expensive material became the stepping-stone for Cartier to experiment in form, mechanisms and attitude. It helped men move from pocket watches to wristwatches, effectively making the watch much more functional and prominent in a man's overall wardrobe.

    Cartier did not only touch on functionality. Inspired by a commissioned painting by George Barbier featuring a black panther at the feet of an elegantly bejeweled woman, Cartier began incorporating wild animals in his designs—most notably, Cartier Panthère rings, bangle bracelets and watches. Yet it wasn't until the late 1960s that the house of Cartier debuted their iconic yellow and rose gold LOVE collection, which includes the famous bracelet that only a special screwdriver can open. 

    View More Works

343

Ref. With Cartier hand stamped reference number 02'278
A very fine and extremely rare yellow gold, platinum and diamond-set miniature shutter clock with hardstone mount and original fitted presentation box

Circa 1950
58.5 mm. width, 48 mm. depth and 93 mm. high
Case numbered and signed Cartier Paris, movement signed

Estimate
HK$300,000 - 500,000 

Contact Specialist

Thomas Perazzi
Head of Watches, Asia
+852 2318 2001
thomasperazzi@phillips.com

Ziyong Ho
Specialist
+852 9386 2032
ziyongho@phillips.com

Jill Chen
Specialist
+852 2318 2033
jillchen@phillips.com

The Hong Kong Watch Auction: TWO

Hong Kong Auction 31 May 2016