Manufacturer: Cartier Year: Circa 1930 Movement No: 2'980'400 Case No: 2'980'400 and 0995 Model Name: Pendulette à Chevalet Material: Jade, rock crystal, and black enamel desk Calibre: Manual, 19 jewels Dimensions: Approx. 90mm Diameter Signed: Movement signed Longines, case signed Cartier Paris, and furthermore stamped with Cartier hand stamped numbers. Accessories: Accompanied by presentation box. Further accompanied by Longines Extract from the Archives confirming delivery of the moment to Longines' former agent in France in 1920.
Catalogue Essay
First created in the early 1900s, the desk clock was Cartier’s perfect canvas to showcase its unbridled creativity. The desk clock is a result of two guiding principles - merging a beautifully and intricately crafted work of art with horology.
The creation of the desk clock perfectly coincides with Cartier’s first foray into the Far East. In 1901, Louis Cartier tasked one of his best salesmen, Jules Glaenzer, to asses its potential as a commercial center. Coming back, Glaenzer not only discovered another culture a world apart, but had also filled his pockets with curiosities, gems and treasures from the Far East. What started as a commercial trip turned into one of the biggest cultural inspirations for the illustrious jeweler.
Created by Cartier Paris, the present clock also known as the Pendulette à Chevalet, is from the 1920s and inspired by the Far East. It is fitted with a striking jade bangle around the dial – an obvious nod to the Asian influence on design – designed to look like an easel. Lotus motifs furthermore surround the rock crystal. The Lotus is a particularly powerful symbol, representing purity, rebirth, and divinity. Rock crystal is further suspended outside the dial, with diamond-set Roman numerals, providing for a very striking and impressive appearance.
Most interestingly, a similar clock also displaying a jade bangle with enamel and diamond accents is housed within the Cartier collection and illustrated in Cartier Collection Horlogerie by Francois Chaille and Franco Cologni. Both the present lot and the one in Cartier's collection bear movements made by Longines. Indeed, the Longines Extract that accompanied this clock states that the present movement was delivered to Longines' former agent for France in 1920, destined to fit a "Pendulette".
The panels provide the perfect canvas for an artisan to showcase his or her ability to create exquisite motifs and showcase a variety of gem-setting. To apply lacquer or enamel on the panels requires extreme delicate handling, technical virtuosity, and artistic sensibility. To furthermore fit panels of hard stone like lapis lazuli, rock crystal requires extreme dexterity and know-how.
The unparalleled condition and quality of the present desk clock underlies its importance. It was during the 1920s and 1930s that Cartier was arguably at its most productive, manufacturing pieces of unsurpassed quality and ingenuity.
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.
