Cartier - The Hong Kong Watch Auction: TWO Hong Kong Monday, May 30, 2016 | Phillips

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  • Manufacturer: Cartier
    Year: Circa 1920
    Movement No: 14806
    Material: Platinum, diamonds and enamel
    Calibre: Mechanical
    Bracelet/Strap: Seed pearl strand necklace
    Dimensions: 21 mm. diameter
    Signed: Dial signed, movement numbered

  • Catalogue Essay

    This lady's unusual jewelry time piece features a delicate engine-turned guilloché and deep purple enamel pear-form pendant watch. By turning the upper portion of the pendant, one winds the watch mechanism. The pendant is preserved in excellent condition, considering its age. There seems to be no signs of repair, which is really quite astounding. The enamel displays a beautiful and rich tone, yet appears almost translucent in places, which gives the pendant a very three-dimensional appearance. Cartier innovated a specific form of enamel process, which involved a special heating to achieve variations in colour that are illustrated in the present pear-form pendant watch. This technique evolved into a very important design element that Cartier seeked to master. Further highlighting he present form watch, are intricate diamond-set floral motifs wrapped around the base. This technique demonstrates the garland style that Cartier promoted to the Russian market. They mastered this technique, which differentiated their creations from their main competitor Fabergé. This time-consuming and very delicate work is also known as Garland or Louis XVI style.

    The top of the pendant is embellished with a platinum and diamond-set leaf design, which is incredibly intricate. The necklace is suspended from a seed pearl necklace.

    At the time of production, it was deemed unseemly for a woman to wear a wristwatch. As a result, Cartier explored various ways for women to read the time, while remaining socially appropriate and in style. The pendant watch was one solution. Cartier is particularly talented at creating unusual and creative objets d'art, such as the present example.

  • Artist Biography

    Cartier

    French

    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. 

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A lady's fine and very rare platinum, yellow gold, enamel and diamond-set pear-form Louis XVI-style pendant watch with pearl strand necklace

Circa 1920
21 mm. diameter
Dial signed, movement numbered

Estimate
HK$240,000 - 400,000 

Contact Specialist

Thomas Perazzi
Head of Watches, Asia
+852 2318 2001
thomasperazzi@phillips.com

Ziyong Ho
Specialist
+852 9386 2032
ziyongho@phillips.com

Jill Chen
Specialist
+852 2318 2033
jillchen@phillips.com

The Hong Kong Watch Auction: TWO

Hong Kong Auction 31 May 2016