~A MULTI-GEM 'MYSTERY' CLOCK, BY CARTIER

Prospective purchasers are advised that several co… Read more

The legendary relationship between Maurice Coüet (1885-1963) and Louis Cartier at the beginning of the 20th century completed Cartier's reign as the leading firm for jewelled objects. Inspired by popular 19th century French magician and illusionist Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin, Coüet blended exquisite craftsmanship, elegant design and the most technologically advanced mechanisms, resulting in works that continue to entertain and fascinate the observer with their illusion and beauty. Best-known for his 'pendules mystérieuses' or ‘mystery clocks’, the young clockmaker astonished the industry by exploiting the use of illusion. First seen with the ‘Model A’ in 1913, and manufactured exclusively by the Paris branch, the mechanism of mystery clocks is hidden in the frame; the hands seem to float in space without any connection to the movement. In reality, rather than moving by conventional clock making techniques, the hands are set into two rotating transparent crystal discs with toothed metal rims that are driven by gears which are ingeniously hidden in the clock case. Since every part of the clock was painstakingly hand-made, according to Hans Nadelhoffer in Cartier, Jewelers Extraordinary, page 251, each one took from three to twelve months to make; employing not only the watchmaker but also the designer, the 'orfèvre-boitier', the enameler, the lapidary, the setter, the engraver and the polisher. Cartier perpetuated the illusion by fiercely guarding the secret behind these masterpieces, even at the expense of their own sales staff. As Hans Nadelhoffer states in his book Cartier: Jewelers Extraordinary, "It was not simply a matter of the name; the 'mystery clock' contained a secret that was supposed to never be revealed. Over-inquisitive salesmen at the Rue de la Paix, who tried to force explanations from the craftsmen, were rebuffed. The wonder clocks guarded their secret like the Sphinx, and Cartier's protected them from the eyes of prying admirers."These elegant clocks with their clean, sleek surfaces and bejeweled hands have been the gifts of choice to notables including Queen Mary, who received one in 1924, and Joseph Stalin, who was presented with one by General Charles de Gaulle in 1945. Mystery clocks are considered by many to be one of the House of Cartier’s greatest achievements. Mystery clocks are described and illustrated in Cartier: Jewelers Extraordinary by Hans Nadelhoffer, pp. 250 - 254 and in The Cartier Collection - Timepieces, Editions Flammarion, pp. 196 - 221.PROPERTY OF A PRIVATE COLLECTOR

Details

~A MULTI-GEM 'MYSTERY' CLOCK, BY CARTIER
With manual movement, to the dodecagonal rock crystal dial, diamond-set hands, enhanced with mother-of-pearl chapter ring, with bezel-set diamond hour markers at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11, and bezel-set carved emerald hour markers at 12 and 6, dial within a jade border, set at the top with a carved emerald within a circular-cut diamond border, suspended between two rock crystal columns, the columns each supporting a jade top, centering upon a mother-of-pearl, carved emerald and circular-cut diamond compartment, opening to reveal the winding mechanisms, terminating in a stepped jade and silver base, the plinth of banded agate and sterling silver, approximate height 15 ins., in a Cartier red leather fitted case
Signed Cartier, Paris, no. 215662 (on base), 10082 (near winds)

Special notice

Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

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