Our first live auctions of the spring 2025 season are here! The Phillips Geneva Watch Auction: XXI, takes place on 10-11 May, 2025, and the PHILLIPS Hong Kong Watch Auction: XX, takes place on 23-25 May, 2025, at our West Kowloon headquarters. The auctions include hundreds of the world's finest watches – and naturally, there are a number of extraordinary pieces from Cartier, including nine extraordinarily rare clocks from the early 20th century; three clocks are available in Geneva, and six clocks are available in Hong Kong.
– By Logan Baker
Cartier spent the 20th century dreaming up some of the most fantastical, intricate, and flat-out beautiful objects the world had ever seen. No other maison could set trends like Cartier. No one else brought avant-garde art and design into the mainstream with the same ease. And through it all, Cartier looked East.
Cartier’s relationship with Asian art and culture runs so deep that it recently filled an entire reference book: Asia Imagined. But the story goes back much further, to 1907, when Cartier first began sourcing objects from Japan to work into its designs. Things took off in the 1920s, when Cartier’s Jules Glaenzer traveled to China — then often still called Cathay — visiting Shanghai and Hong Kong.
The 1920s were Cartier’s perfect storm: a boom time for art, architecture, design, and literature. Even after the crash of 1929, when the world turned uncertain, Cartier and other luxury houses responded by offering something different — a way to escape. Jewelry and objets d’art became smaller acts of rebellion, celebrations of glamour, excess, and the exotic. Fascination with the Far East exploded, helped along by stories and souvenirs from artists and travelers returning from abroad. Clocks became a favorite canvas for these ideas.
You saw it not just in motifs but materials. Cartier used nephrite jade, onyx, coral, rock crystal, marble, and lapis lazuli alongside diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, and rubies. Cartier studied Eastern symbols and stories, pulling from Chinese folklore, poetry, and Buddhist traditions.
Nephrite jade, known as the "stone of heaven," became a favorite material. In Chinese culture, jade symbolizes good luck, fortune, prosperity — sometimes even immortality. Its hardness and translucency let Cartier’s artisans carve intricate scenes, then set them with gemstones, creating miniature worlds inspired by traditional poetry and legend.
Certain symbols appeared again and again. The dragon, for example, stood for royal power, fortune, and intelligence — a sacred figure in Eastern mythology, dating back to China's Neolithic era. Cartier reimagined dragons in precious materials, wrapping them around clocks, jewelry, and objets d’art with unmatched creativity. Their artists pulled from Tang Dynasty poetry, scripture, Buddhist art, and more. Each clock, each object, became a true fusion of cultures.
The clocks you’re about to see are the result: a blend of technical brilliance and artistic daring that defined Cartier’s Art Deco era. Each clock will be available in one of our upcoming May 2025 watch sales in either Geneva and Hong Kong. And we'd be remiss not to mention the legendary Cartier Portico Mystery Clock No. 3, which we covered in-depth in its own dedicated article here and will be sold during the Geneva Watch Auction: XXI.
The Geneva Watch Auction: XXI
Lot 22: A Circa 1940 Cartier Miniature Prism Clock
Estimate: CHF 10,000 - 20,000
This Cartier prism clock from the 1930s is a small marvel, built to charm and surprise.
In 1937, Cartier patented the prism system, based on the simple idea behind a periscope. Gaston Cusin, a colleague of Maurice Couet — the man behind Cartier’s famous mystery clocks — invented it. Cusin hid the clock’s movement and dial in the base and placed a prism inside the case. The prism reflects and refracts the dial and hands, projecting a clear image you can only see from the front at a slight angle. Look at the back, and you’ll see nothing at all.
It's a clever visual trick, and Cartier used it to full effect. Prism clocks are rare — in the last decade, only a handful have appeared at auction.
This example gets even better: it still comes with its original Cartier presentation box, custom-built to fit the clock’s unusual shape.
Lot 180: A Circa 1925 Cartier Desk Compendium
Estimate: CHF 15,000 - 30,000
When Louis Cartier joined the family business in 1898 at just 23, he brought a new vision that pushed Cartier into bold new territory. Trained in impeccable taste and a refined sense of style, Louis had big ambitions for Cartier’s future in watchmaking. He loved the elegance of the Louis XVI style — think gold decoration — but he also had his own eye for clean, geometric lines.
You can see that balance in this silver and enamel clock with inkwell and pen. It’s more restrained than some of the extravagant pieces Cartier produced during the Roaring Twenties, but it has a quiet confidence. The sharp angles, rock crystal inkwell handles, and the clock’s gold graphic hands add just enough flair to feel unmistakably Parisian — and unmistakably Cartier.
The Hong Kong Watch Auction: XX
Lot 802: A Circa 1930 Cartier Mystery Clock in Rock Crystal, Diamond, Onyx, Coral, Mother-of-Pearl, Yellow Gold, and Enamel
Estimate: HKD $2,000,000–4,000,000
Cartier’s Mystery Clocks aren’t just beautiful — they’re feats of horological magic. First introduced in the early 20th century, these clocks make time seem to float. Their secret lies in hidden mechanisms: transparent disks and rotating panels mask the inner workings, leaving the hands to spin through sheer illusion.
The idea traces back to Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin, the 19th-century French clockmaker and illusionist. Robert-Houdin’s innovations inspired generations of watchmakers, including Maurice Couet. A third-generation watchmaker, Couet set up shop in Paris and later made table clocks exclusively for Cartier.
Each Mystery Clock was made by hand and lavishly decorated — nephrite, jasper, diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, rubies — no material was too precious. They were never mass-produced. Every piece is essentially one of one, with designs by Cartier artists like Charles Jacques and Georges Rémy. In the 1920s, themes leaned heavily on chinoiserie and Egyptology; by the 1950s, they shifted toward sculptural forms.
This Mystery Clock is a showstopper. A coral sculpture of a bixie and a dragon forms the centerpiece. A mother-of-pearl bezel, ringed with black lacquer clouds, frames a massive octagonal dial. The hands, shaped like dragon wings, sparkle with diamonds. Even the creatures’ eyes are set with cabochon diamonds — a reminder that Cartier left no detail untouched.
The bixie, a lion-dragon hybrid, symbolizes strength and protection in Chinese folklore. The dragon represents power, prosperity, and good fortune. Unlike their Western counterparts, Chinese dragons are benevolent, tied to water, rain, and the heavens.
During this era, Cartier’s salesmen traveled the Far East hunting for rare objects. It’s likely Cartier sourced this coral sculpture abroad, then reimagined it for the Western market by setting it with diamonds and turning it into a piece of kinetic art.
First seen on the market 30 years ago, this clock hasn’t surfaced since. Its return to auction is a rare chance to own not just a masterpiece of horology but a remarkable piece of Cartier and Art Deco history.
Lot 806: A Circa 1925 Cartier Illuminated Lantern Clock in Nephrite, Yellow Gold, Onyx, Lacquer, Diamond, and Coral
Estimate: HKD $960,000–1,920,000
The 1920s were a golden age of design and cultural exchange. Economic growth fueled a wave of creativity across art, architecture, and craftsmanship. For jewelers and watchmakers, it was a time to push boundaries. Exoticism was in — and few embraced it more boldly than Cartier.
Drawing inspiration from India, Egypt, and especially East Asia, Cartier created fantastical objects that offered both luxury and escape. Clocks, in particular, became the perfect vehicle for this vision — blending technical ingenuity with cultural storytelling.
This unique nephrite lantern clock, made of yellow gold, onyx, coral, lacquer, and diamonds, captures Cartier’s inventive spirit at its peak. Designed to resemble a Chinese lantern, the translucent jade panels glow from within when lit, evoking the soft flicker of firelight. The craftsmanship is exacting — from the coral floral motifs to the rock crystal detailing — but it never feels overwrought.
Jade, or nephrite, was a favored material at Cartier in this period. Valued in Chinese culture as the “stone of heaven,” jade symbolized good fortune, prosperity, and spiritual protection. Its natural translucency and durability made it ideal for carving and gem-setting.
Every detail here speaks with intent. The dragon-shaped hands — with the hour as the head and the minute as the tail — reference imperial Chinese iconography, where the dragon symbolizes the emperor and his divine role as mediator between heaven and earth. Mother-of-pearl panels on both sides of the clock display the time, with Chinese numerals painted directly on the surface.
At the top sits a crown topped with a crescent and star — a motif strongly linked to King Farouk of Egypt. Research suggests the clock was sold through Bulgari, who stamped the box July 16, 1954, during Farouk’s exile in Rome. He was a known Bulgari client and a noted collector of extravagant watches and clocks, many of which were custom-made or specially adapted for him. Cartier themselves made several bespoke creations for the king, including a rock crystal mystery clock that now sits in their archive.
This lantern clock likely belonged to that same circle of objects: rare, exquisite, and deeply personal. It’s not just a masterpiece of horological design — it’s a piece of royal history.
Lot 811: A Circa 1929 Cartier Minute-Repeating Desk Clock in Yellow Gold, Nephrite, Jade, Onyx, and Lacquer, with 'Laque Burgauté' Panels
Estimate: HKD $560,000–1,120,000
Created in 1929, this Pendulette à Répétition à Minutes is a rare and exceptional example of Cartier’s desk clocks — one of the maison’s most expressive formats for blending horology and artistry. First conceived in the early 1900s by Maurice Coüet, Cartier’s desk clocks were never just timekeepers. They were objects of wonder, built to elevate time into something closer to art.
This piece draws directly from East Asian design, incorporating nephrite panels carved to resemble bamboo groves. A nephrite Fu Dog — a traditional symbol of protection — sits atop the case and cleverly doubles as the activator for the minute repeater. Only a handful of similar examples are known, including one in the Cartier Collection.
The side panels showcase Laque Burgauté, a highly refined East Asian technique where lacquer is inlaid with tinted mother-of-pearl. Popularized during the Qing Dynasty and later in Japan, the technique requires layers of lacquer to be polished smooth with pumice, revealing intricate designs in shades of green and purple. In this clock, the scene shows mountains, flowing water, and a group gathered around a game — a poetic, meditative image pulled from traditional Chinese landscape art.
The dial continues the theme. Roman numerals are cut from mother-of-pearl, while the central scene is seamlessly integrated with the rest of the object’s artistic narrative. One panel is inscribed with Chinese characters (❳⢖❩), which likely reference Shengquan Peak — either the Sacred Spring Peak of Huangshan or one of the Twelve Peaks of Wushan — both steeped in natural beauty and legend.
Cartier designed every detail with intention. The key is hidden within the case itself, and both the case and the key bear the same hand-stamped number: 2498. That small touch proves what collectors already know — this isn’t just a clock. It’s a unified creation, born complete.
Cartier’s work from the 1920s and ’30s stands as some of the most imaginative and technically accomplished of the 20th century. This clock embodies the period’s best qualities: cultural curiosity, artistic mastery, and horological innovation — all in one.
Lot 815: A Circa 1925 Cartier Desk Clock in Red Amber and Black Enamel with Carved Jade Dial
Estimate: HKD $1,200,000–2,400,000
This Cartier desk clock blends East and West in a way few objects do — with elegance, symbolism, and material rarity. Made of carved jade, black enamel, diamonds, and a striking red amber bangle, it’s a showcase of how Cartier reinterpreted traditional Chinese motifs through a Western lens.
At the center is the red amber bangle, encircling a jade dial carved with a chimera — or Qilin — one of the most auspicious figures in Chinese mythology. The Qilin symbolizes wisdom, protection, and good fortune, often seen guarding temples or imperial buildings. Cartier’s team likely sourced the bangle during one of their frequent buying trips to Asia and then reimagined it for the Western market — a practice not uncommon during the maison’s creative peak in the 1920s and ’30s.
Red amber itself is exceptionally rare, especially when carved. This material, believed to symbolize courage, is found near Myitkyina, close to Burma’s famed jade mines — adding both provenance and prestige.
The bangle curves around a white enamel bezel with gold Roman numerals, framing a jade dial that tells a second story: a monkey reaching for peaches. In Chinese culture, the monkey is clever, quick, and mischievous — a symbol of transformation. The peach is the fruit of immortality and longevity, making this a scene loaded with layered meaning. It's possible this dial, like the bangle, was a found object adapted by Cartier.
The clock was sold by Cartier London, as confirmed by its original fitted box. It last surfaced on the market in 1992 and has remained tucked away ever since — unseen for over 30 years.
Now, it returns as one of the most distinctive rediscoveries in recent memory: a museum-worthy object that captures Cartier’s creativity at its boldest and most refined.
Lot 905: A Circa 1925 Cartier Model A Mystery Clock in Rock Crystal, Mother-of-Pearl, Yellow Gold, Onyx, and Diamond
Estimate: HKD $2,000,000–4,000,000
Among the most captivating horological creations of the 20th century, Cartier’s Mystery Clocks stand apart. Few objects in watchmaking history combine optical illusion, mechanical ingenuity, and visual beauty as seamlessly. The Mystery Clock became a defining expression of Cartier’s creativity — a fusion of technical mastery and decorative art.
First introduced in 1912, the Modèle A was a revelation. To the viewer, its hands appeared to float freely within a solid block of rock crystal. The trick was hidden in plain sight: each hand was mounted on a transparent crystal disc, edged with fine teeth, and rotated by pinions concealed inside the clock’s columns. The movement itself sat hidden in the base, turning each disc at a different speed — one for the hours, one for the minutes. The result was pure visual magic.
Maurice Coüet, the clockmaker behind the design, was inspired by Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin, the 19th-century illusionist and horologist who first explored the idea of the mystery dial. Coüet’s innovation turned that early idea into a fully realized mechanical marvel.
The Modèle A quickly attracted elite collectors. J.P. Morgan, Count Greffulhe, and the Maharajah of Patiala were all early patrons. Each clock was made by hand, with variations in base material — onyx, obsidian, jade, lapis, gold, or nephrite — and subtle differences in decoration and finishing.
This example features a mother-of-pearl bezel and rock crystal body set on a polished onyx base. Gold floral hour markers and delicate beadwork highlight the case. The condition is superb: the rock crystal panels are intact and free from cracks or restoration, making this an especially rare survivor.
Only around 60 Modèle A Mystery Clocks were ever produced, according to current scholarship. This piece last surfaced three decades ago and has remained privately held since. Its reappearance offers collectors a rare chance to acquire not just a beautiful clock, but a milestone in Cartier’s history — and in the history of horology itself.
Lot 906: A Circa 1905 Cartier Table Clock with Barometer and Thermometer, in Pink Marble, Agate, and Enamel
Estimate: HKD $1,200,000–2,400,000
At the start of the 20th century, France was enamored with all things Russian. Fabergé’s intricate, whimsical creations captured the imagination of Parisian society and left a lasting mark on art, fashion, and design. Russian culture, with its blend of opulence, mysticism, and folklore, became a source of fascination, especially in avant-garde circles. The arrival of Russian émigrés in Paris after the Revolution only deepened that cultural exchange.
The influence of Fabergé’s 1900 debut at the Paris Exposition Universelle was immediate — and Cartier responded. During the Belle Époque, Cartier began producing pieces that echoed Russian tastes in craftsmanship and refinement. Guilloché enamel, rose-cut diamonds, millegrain finishes, and garland-style motifs became hallmarks of Cartier’s aesthetic during this period. Using a secret technique, Cartier achieved depth and shimmer in its enamel work by layering up to six coats, selected from more than 140 shades.
Cartier’s clocks from this era are among its most inventive creations. Encouraged by Louis Cartier’s own passion for horology, the maison began producing table clocks that married mechanical ingenuity with artistic flair. The carved stone animal — most often an elephant — became a recurring decorative element, playful yet regal.
This clock, fitted with a barometer and thermometer, is a rare surviving example of that vision. It features a pale grey agate elephant standing atop a plinth of vivid green enamel, all set on a pink marble base. The dial bears the inscription “Paris Londres,” and the original green Cartier presentation box — used only in the early 1900s before Cartier adopted its now-iconic red boxes — confirms its early provenance.
This is Cartier at its most refined. The design follows the Louis XVI-inspired Garland Style, with classical references like urns, eggs, and pillars enhanced by the maison’s mastery of enamel and stonework. The result is a richly symbolic, cross-cultural object — at once rooted in French elegance and deeply inspired by the Russian artistic wave that swept through Paris in the early 20th century.
Only one other example of this clock is known to have surfaced publicly, in 1992. Its reappearance offers a rare opportunity to acquire a piece that sits at the intersection of European decorative arts, horology, and cross-cultural design history. Objects of this caliber and condition rarely come back to market — and may never appear again.
You can learn more, place a bid, and view the entire Geneva Watch Auction: XXI catalogue here, and the Hong Kong Watch Auction: XX catalogue here.
About Phillips In Association With Bacs & Russo
The team of specialists at PHILLIPS Watches is dedicated to an uncompromised approach to quality, transparency, and client service. Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo holds the world record for the most successful watch auction, with its Geneva Watch Auction: XIV having realized $74.5 million in 2021. Over the course of 2021 and 2022, the company sold 100% of the watches offered, a first in the industry, resulting in the highest annual total in history across all the auction houses at $227 million.
About Logan Baker
Logan has spent the past decade reporting on every aspect of the watch business. He joined Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo at the start of 2023 as the department's Senior Editorial Manager. He splits his time between New York and Geneva.
Recommended Reading