Cartier is a name not only associated with Parisian glamour but also with bold and seductive designs and the present lot eloquently embodies the je ne sais quoi that makes Cartier’s timepieces so enticing.

Upon their introduction in the early 20th century, wristwatches were basically a wrist version of the pocket watch with lugs soldered onto them. Cartier’s artistic free spirit could only push it to turn away from these designs by creating shaped wristwatches such as the Tonneau, Tortue or Tank which would become milestones of horological design.

In the late 1940s the round wristwatch surpassed the Art-Deco inspired form watches of the previous decades in terms of popularity. The present Helm watch, named as such because of its design resembling a ship's wheel, fuses with Cartier’s inimitable artistic refinement and finesse.

The Helm watches were produced in different variations either as wristwatches or pocketwatches but always in extremely limited examples. An almost identical timepiece is part of the Cartier private collection, having previously belonged to the Maharaja of Kapurthala, a ruler known for his exquisite taste.

It is extremely rare to come across these quasi-unique museum quality watches and the present lot, in superb condition, will appeal to the aesthete looking for a timepiece embodying creative liberty.