Delicately realized diamond-set and onyx dragon So rarely has any brand created such magical, creative, and stupendous clocks as Cartier has. The Maison has created some of the most dazzling Mystery Clocks, with Maurice Coüet creating the movements and construction of the Model A in 1912. Dubbed as “miracles of horology”, in 1925 by La Gazette du Bon Ton, these clocks were unlike anything the market had seen at the time of their launch. So cloaked in mystery were these clocks that in the beginning, even the salespeople at the Cartier boutiques could not properly explain exactly how they worked.
“Marvels of the clockmaker’s art, unreal and seemingly woven from moonbeams.”
—description of Cartier’s mystery clocks from La Gazette du Bon Ton, 1925The very first Mystery Clock was notably sold to banker John Pierpont Morgan. While it seems like the hands are floating and suspended, the system works on the basis of optical illusion. The hands are in fact attached by two translucent disks that are driven by a clock movement hidden within the base. The movement construction was based on the creation of French clockmaker and illusionist Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin in the 1830s. As a pioneer of modern illusionism, he paved the way for other watchmakers and illusionists, such as Maurice Coüet. Coüet came from a long line of watchmakers, whose father and grandfather worked for Breguet. He later moved to Paris to set up his own business, and exclusively created table clocks for Cartier. The present watch, The Central Axle Clock, used a single central axle where the axle goes through the base, rather than the earlier double axle system introduced in 1920.
View of the underside of the clock, base, signed plate, and hand-stamped and numbered winding key. Throughout the 1920s, Coüet continued to produce Mystery Clocks for the Maison, using a myriad of materials to embellish Cartier’s fantastical clocks. Indeed, the 1920s was an exceptional period for design. Following the economic crash in 1929 and the Great Depression that followed, a sense of uncertainty filled the vacuum created by the economic downturn. As a result, luxury jewelry houses and watch manufactures tried to encourage spending by introducing exquisitely decorated objects inspired by all walks of life, conjuring images of glamour, exoticism including India, Egypt, and most of all, Asia. During this period, a hunger for novelty, luxury, and frivolity became widespread, with jewelry and objets d’art being the perfect expression of their newfound freedom and a means of escape.
“From the earliest years, Cartier’s production included all manner of jewelled objets d'art including powder boxes and small clocks. It was the fashion of the day to give ever more expensive, jewelled objets as gifts…This insatiable demand for ‘ever more amusing’ and unusual presents was where the origin of these Mystery clocks lay. These extraordinary clocks became, as the eggs did with Faberge, Cartier’s greatest creation.”
—Harry Fane, The Mystery of Time: The Mystery Clocks of CartierEach made by hand, Cartier lavishly adorned its Mystery clocks with an array of designs and materials, ranging from nephrite to jasper, to diamonds, sapphires, emeralds and rubies. Always expensive, they were never meant to be produced for mass consumption. The designs were created by Charles Jacques or Georges Remy. While the examples from the 1920s were more fantastical and displayed chinoiserie or Egyptian themes, examples from the 1950s onwards were more sculptural, experimenting with form and shape.
Angled image of the clock showing the base decorated in turquoise, lapis lazuli, pearl, and diamonds. The Art Deco gold decoration to the nephrite resembles a Chinese Imperial seal, adorned by a single coral cabochon. Made by Cartier France, but sold by Cartier London, the present single Axle Clock, measuring approximately 27.5cm in height and 13.5cm in width, is an exceedingly impressive specimen. Made in rock crystal, jade, diamond, onyx, coral, pearl, turquoise, and enamel, it is a magnificent piece of art, most notably influenced by Far Eastern design motifs. It also weight an impressive 7.8 pounds due to sheer heft of all the materials – impressive given its svelte appearance. Above the heavy base sides a rock crystal dial encased by a beautiful turquoise lacquer surround. Suspended in the dial surrounded by 12 sides are hands rendered in diamonds and onyx, in the shape of a dragon. While the hour hand represents the head of the dragon, the minutes hand represents the tail. The use of the dragon is especially fitting here. In Chinese cultural imagery, the dragon is a symbol of the emperor, the almighty leader who mediated between Heaven and Earth and is often depicted rising from clouds and waves, symbolizing fortune and prosperity. Auspiciously, this year (2024) we celebrate the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese Zodiac. As an even nicer touch, the mystery clock retains its original fitted presentation box and original numbered key, with the Cartier hand stamped number corresponding to the one on the clock.
The clock nestles perfectly into its original fitted presentation box, in signature Cartier red. Having first appeared on the market three decades ago, this historically significant clock will most likely remain hidden and cherished again for many years to come. Its public sale at auction offers a unique chance to acquire not only an intricate and beautiful piece of horological history, but also an historically significant museum-quality Art Deco piece.
Manufacturer:
Cartier
Year:Circa 1926
Case No:1179 and 1533
Model Name:Single Axle Mystery Clock "Pendule Mystérieuse"
Material:Yellow gold, rock crystal, jade, diamond, onyx, coral, pearl and enamel
Calibre:Manual key winding
Dimensions:Approximately 27.5cm in height and 13.5cm in width
Signed:Case signed and further stamped with Cartier hand stamped numbers, movement with hand stamped numbers, key stamped 1179 (matching the clock)
Accessories:Accompanied by original Cartier presentation box and numbered key.
Provenance:Christie's New York, "Three Magnificent Art Deco Cartier Clocks", April 25 1990, lot 342. Provenance
Christie's New York, "Three Magnificent Art Deco Cartier Clocks", April 25 1990, lot 342.
Catalogue Essay
So rarely has any brand created such magical, creative, and stupendous clocks as Cartier has. The Maison has created some of the most dazzling Mystery Clocks, with Maurice Coüet creating the movements and construction of the Model A in 1912. Dubbed as “miracles of horology”, in 1925 by La Gazette du Bon Ton, these clocks were unlike anything the market had seen at the time of their launch. So cloaked in mystery were these clocks that in the beginning, even the salespeople at the Cartier boutiques could not properly explain exactly how they worked.
The very first Mystery Clock was notably sold to banker John Pierpont Morgan. While it seems like the hands are floating and suspended, the system works on the basis of optical illusion. The hands are in fact attached by two translucent disks that are driven by a clock movement hidden within the base. The movement construction was based on the creation of French clockmaker and illusionist Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin in the 1830s. As a pioneer of modern illusionism, he paved the way for other watchmakers and illusionists, such as Maurice Coüet. Coüet came from a long line of watchmakers, whose father and grandfather worked for Breguet. He later moved to Paris to set up his own business, and exclusively created table clocks for Cartier. The present watch, The Central Axle Clock, used a single central axle where the axle goes through the base, rather than the earlier double axle system introduced in 1920.
Throughout the 1920s, Coüet continued to produce Mystery Clocks for the Maison, using a myriad of materials to embellish Cartier’s fantastical clocks. Indeed, the 1920s was an exceptional period for design. Following the economic crash in 1929 and the Great Depression that followed, a sense of uncertainty filled the vacuum created by the economic downturn. As a result, luxury jewelry houses and watch manufactures tried to encourage spending by introducing exquisitely decorated objects inspired by all walks of life, conjuring images of glamour, exoticism including India, Egypt, and most of all, Asia. During this period, a hunger for novelty, luxury, and frivolity became widespread, with jewelry and objets d’art being the perfect expression of their newfound freedom and a means of escape.
Each made by hand, Cartier lavishly adorned its Mystery clocks with an array of designs and materials, ranging from nephrite to jasper, to diamonds, sapphires, emeralds and rubies. Always expensive, they were never meant to be produced for mass consumption. The designs were created by Charles Jacques or Georges Remy. While the examples from the 1920s were more fantastical and displayed chinoiserie or Egyptian themes, examples from the 1950s onwards were more sculptural, experimenting with form and shape.
Made by Cartier France, but sold by Cartier London, the present single Axle Clock, measuring approximately 27.5cm in height and 13.5cm in width, is an exceedingly impressive specimen. Made in rock crystal, jade, diamond, onyx, coral, pearl, turquoise, and enamel, it is a magnificent piece of art, most notably influenced by Far Eastern design motifs. It also weight an impressive 7.8 pounds due to sheer heft of all the materials – impressive given its svelte appearance. Above the heavy base sides a rock crystal dial encased by a beautiful turquoise lacquer surround. Suspended in the dial surrounded by 12 sides are hands rendered in diamonds and onyx, in the shape of a dragon. While the hour hand represents the head of the dragon, the minutes hand represents the tail. The use of the dragon is especially fitting here. In Chinese cultural imagery, the dragon is a symbol of the emperor, the almighty leader who mediated between Heaven and Earth and is often depicted rising from clouds and waves, symbolizing fortune and prosperity. Auspiciously, this year (2024) we celebrate the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese Zodiac. As an even nicer touch, the mystery clock retains its original fitted presentation box and original numbered key, with the Cartier hand stamped number corresponding to the one on the clock.
Having first appeared on the market three decades ago, this historically significant clock will most likely remain hidden and cherished again for many years to come. Its public sale at auction offers a unique chance to acquire not only an intricate and beautiful piece of horological history, but also an historically significant museum-quality Art Deco piece.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.
PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN
100
An extremely rare, impressive, and museum quality Single Axle rock crystal, jade, diamond, onyx, coral, pearl, and enamel mystery clock with original key and presentation box
Circa 1926
Approximately 27.5cm in height and 13.5cm in width
Case signed and further stamped with Cartier hand stamped numbers, movement with hand stamped numbers, key stamped 1179 (matching the clock)
Estimate
$300,000 - 600,000
CHF274,000-548,000
€277,000-553,000
HK$2,340,000-4,680,000
Sold for $1,047,750
Paul Boutros
Deputy Chairman, Watches, Head of Watches, Americas
+1 (212) 940-1293
watchesny@phillips.com
Isabella Proia
Head of Sale, New York
+1 (212) 940 1285
iproia@phillips.com
The New York Watch Auction: X
New York Auction 8 - 9 June 2024
19
This lot is no longer available.
34
This lot is no longer available.
