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Lot Essay
The present watch is number one of an extremely small series of "Mystery Dress Watches" made by Cartier in the early 1970s in both gold and platinum. It is accompanied by the original Cartier pink gold chain.
The talented 28 year old clockmaker Maurice Couët perfected the art of illusion in one of Cartier's masterpieces, the Mystery Clock, the success story beginning in 1913 with the celebrated "Model A". The mechanism of these clocks is hidden in the frame so that the hands seem to float in space without any connection to the movement. Rather than moving by conventional clock-making techniques, the hands are set into two rotating crystal discs with toothed metal rims that are propelled by gears in the case of the clock or watch.
The talented 28 year old clockmaker Maurice Couët perfected the art of illusion in one of Cartier's masterpieces, the Mystery Clock, the success story beginning in 1913 with the celebrated "Model A". The mechanism of these clocks is hidden in the frame so that the hands seem to float in space without any connection to the movement. Rather than moving by conventional clock-making techniques, the hands are set into two rotating crystal discs with toothed metal rims that are propelled by gears in the case of the clock or watch.