ROCK CRYSTAL, ENAMEL, AGATE AND DIAMOND MYSTERY TIMEPIECE, 'MODEL A', CARTIER, CIRCA 1930

The millegrain-set rose diamond hands within a bezel applied with white enamel, rose diamonds and gold Roman numerals on platinum, the bevelled rock crystal case on a rectangular white chalcedony base outlined with beaded gold trim, measuring approximately 88 x 52 x 130mm, signed Cartier, accompanied by charge key, total gross weight including key approximately 1041.60 grams.

BARRACA Jader, NEGRETTI Giampiero, and NENCINI Franco, Le Temps de Cartier, Wrist International S.r.l, Milano COLOGNI Franco and NUSSBAUM Eric, Cartier, le Joailler du Platine, La bibliothèque des Arts, Paris

NADELHOFFER Hans, « Les pendules Mystérieuses », in Cartier, Editions du Regard, Paris

The Magical Art of Cartier, An Important Collection of Horology, Jewelry and Objects of Vertu, auction sale : Hotel des Bergues, Geneva, Tuesday 19 November 1996, Antiquorum & Etude Tajan.

For similar exemples :

Sotheby’s New York, Important Watches, December 7^th 2016, lot 105, Cartier, an exceptional and rare platinum, yellow gold, rock crystal, onyx, mother-of-pearl and diamond-set mystery clock pendule, Mystérieuse Model A, made in 1929

Please note that Sotheby's does not guarantee future working condition of watches. Please note that the movement has not been tested for the accuracy of its time keeping and therefore a service should be carried out in the near future at the buyer's expense. Mechanical movement working at the time of cataloguing. Signed Cartier to reverse inside base. Signed Cartier Paris to base. Additionally stamped Modèle Déposé. Rock crystal in overall good condition, small chips, a few located to top corners, at metal connection link on top and one chip to base to front, very light surface wear and minor abrasion. Agate with minor abrasions, and chips in the angle, an internal fracture has been created which runs in the base of the agate towards the surface but is not surface reaching, very light wear, a few chips around edge on agate where it connects to rock crystal. Diamonds bright and lively. Signs of normal wear to metal surfaces. Overall in good condition. Total gross weight including key approximately 1041.60 grams. Measuring approximately 88 x 52 x 130mm. Accompanied by winding key.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Please note that colour, clarity and weight of gemstones are statements of opinion only and not statements of fact by Sotheby's. We do not guarantee, and are not responsible for any certificate from a gemological laboratory that may accompany the property. We do not guarantee that watches are in working order. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue, in particular to the Notice regarding the treatment and condition of gemstones.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

« Unreal and precious, woven in a dream with moon rays, they unweil the mystery of time, minute by minute »[1]. The "Pendules Mystérieuses" or Mystery Clocks were Cartier's masterpieces. Their name is due to the secret movement they jealously hide. Mystery Clocks fascinate for their high level of preciosity and for the ingeniosity of their movement, which requires several months of minutious work. As a matter of fact, an average of one Mystery Clock is produced per year, as each part is made by hand.

It is the result of collaboration of Louis Cartier and the technical skill of Maurice Couët, after a careful study of Mystery Clocks created by Jean-Eugène Robert Houdin. Coüet's invention is based on the principle of an optical illusion. The mystery is in the hands that appear to float in space without any connection to the movement, when, in fact, they are each fixed onto a separate crystal disc. These discs are each surrounded by a tooth-edged border and driven by worm screws fixed at the ends of the two lateral axles, working at the levels of 9 and 3 o'clock, invisibly concealed within the frame. The rotation of the axles is activated by the movement hidden in the base. Therefore, it is not the hands which move but each disc on which they are individually fixed.

The very first Mystery Clock, "Modèle A", was produced in 1913, and sold to JP Morgan; it was rectangular in design and made in rock crystal, enhanced with mother-of-pearl and mounted on a base of onyx, white agate or fluted gold. This model was also offered to the Queen Mary in 1924; in 1945, General Charles de Gaulle chose this model with a lapis-lazuli base for Staline.

[1] La Gazette du Bon ton, 1925



Accompanied by a Service Guarantee Letter from Cartier dated 17th of September 1985.