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Cartier Mystery Clocks - Made Possible with a Perfect Rock Crystal, a Team of Specialists & a Whole Lotta Cash

Like magic, they bedazzle and much head-scratching: the clock is clear and transparent, so how can such a complicated clock movement be hidden? Gazing intently at the front or rear of the clock won't help you figure it out. In a cool piece in CigarAficionado.com, Hiding Time: Cartier's Mystery Clocks Still Bewilder Even As They Bewitch, Ettagale Blauer makes the point that the Cartier Mystery Clock are a "perfect balance of science, art and material." 

The mystery behind the Mystery Clocks was inspired by Jean-Eugene Robert-Houdin, a 19th century French clockmaker and magician; clockmaker Maurice Couet spent a year on this timepiece and brought to Cartier in 1913 - where it was dubbed the Model A, in humorous homage to Henry Ford's model T which came out in 1908. The first Mystery Clock buyer? American Wall Street whiz J.P. Morgan.

The Mystery Clocks were produced until World War II, when most jewelry-making materials - precious metal, gems, etc. - were diverted for the war effort. It wasn't until 1981 that Cartier starting making them again.

The design motifs of today's Mystery Clocks are the same - bold, jazzy Art Deco - that honor the adventurous spirit of the originals. "During the years of 1900 to 1938, there was a certain daring about the designs that were being by Cartier," says Simon Critchell, CEO and President of Cartier. "This was contemporary extravagant, made for stock. There was a lot of risk-taking. It was a family business."

Despite all our high-technosity, the Clocks are made the ole' fashioned way - a team of lapidaries, horologists, jewelers and designers spend 8-12 months to produce a single clock. The central crystals are located in Brazil (sometimes they'll use a topaz): it not only has to be flawless, but sufficiently light and transparent. The lapidiary then cuts it into a six, eight or twelve sided shape. So, how much for such magic? If you have to ask....

And now...drum roll...the mystery: The rock crystal at the heart of the clock is cleaved into two perfectly matched halves, which are then scooped out. Into the hollows are placed two crystal discs with sawtooth edges to which the clock's hands are attached, making the hands seem to float & spin around the dial of their own accord.

In 1900, Cartier Switched From Being a Retailer to a Design House & Broke With Traditional, Favoring Neo Classic Themes Rather than Art Nouveau

What was it about 1900?

From 1847 to 1900, Cartier functioned more as a retailer than anything else. According to Cartier 1900-1939 by Judy Rudoe, their merchandise was provided by other manufacturers and suppliers and was mostly comprised of two French faves: bijouterie - gold, enamel and semi-precious stone jewelry; and joaillerie - "high" jewelry crafted with diamonds and precious stones.

Then, in 1899, Cartier moved to Rue de la Paix, and everything changed. They set up an in-house design studio, and from 1906 on, photographs began to exist of their designs. Except for some religious medallions which Alfred Cartier brought in that were made by medallist Frederic de Vernon and produced by Felix Duval, and a Louis Aucoc peacock pendant, Cartier pretty much avoided the Art Nouveau style so popular at the time. Cartier's Neo-Classical designs were unlike those of almost any other house, favoring architectural details taken from Parisian buildings and Versailles - especially the garlands - and inspired by jewelry from the late 18th century.

Cartier's innovative use of platinum also made this design house stand alone - it's flexible, yet strong, properties meant that diamond-encrusted bling no longer had to be like "armour" according to Louis Cartier, and more like "embroidery."

Legendary Actress Merle Oberon Received from Her Fiance Alexander Korda (a Film Director) 3 Exquisite Cartier Diamond & Gold Rose Clips - one with Diamond Pistils set "En Tremblant" - on Her Wedding Day in 1939

When movie director Alexander Korda wed legendary beauty Merle Oberon, on their wedding day in 1939, he presented her with three exquisite diamond and gold brooches from Cartier. According to Famous Jewelry Collectors by Stefano Papi & Alexandra Rhodes, each brooch was of a rose - two were a pair, and the third and largest rose had en tremblant diamond-covered pistils. She was shot in them by Horst (picture on right from www.corbis.com) for Vogue.

When Queen Elizabeth married Prince Philip, the Nizam of Hyderabad and Berar sent her a tiara containing two Cartier diamond clips - identical to Oberon's.

Cartier Panther: First Used in an Invitation Cartier Commissioned from Illustrator Georges Barbier & then in Abstract Art Deco Watch Design by Cartier's Principal Designer Charles Jacqueau in 1915

In 1914, Cartier first commissioned Georges Barbier of Gazette du bon ton fame to illustrate an invitation card showing a woman with a panther.*  His watchmaker and principal designer, Charles Jacqueau, then produced a timepiece in 1915 of an abstract panther design, using onyx and diamonds to depict the cat's coat - the first use of the panther motif in Cartier jewelry.

The panther, now so synonymous with Cartier, was a prominent icon of the Art Deco period. According to an article in ProfessionalJeweler.com magazine, unlike the "leisurely Edwardian era" the big cat "symbolized the human nature as untamed and unpredictable, covered by a thin veneer of civilized culture."  The Jazz Age era of flappers, Prohibition, gangsters, and fast livin' was well served by an image of a sleekly beautiful, but incredibly dangerous animal.

* For more on this, check out Made by Cartier: 150 Years of Tradition & Innovation by Franco Cologni and Ettore Mocchetti.

In "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" Marilyn Sang about Cartier

In Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Marilyn Monroe famously sang Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend. And guess who was named amongst the jeweler Hall 'O Fame?

Some of the lyrics from Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend:

The French were bred to die for love; they delight in fighting duels. But I prefer a man who lives and gives expensive jewels. A kiss on the hand may be quite continental but diamonds are a girl's best friend. A kiss may grand but it won't pay the rental on your humble flat, or help you at the automat. Men grow cold as girls grow old and we lose our charms in the end. But square-cut or pear-shaped these rocks don't lose their shape. Diamonds are a girl's best friend...Tiffany's...Cartier..Talk to me, Harry Winston, tell me all about it!" etc.

Wallis Simpson Gets King Edward VIII to Abdicate & Marries in Cartier

Many agree that while she may not have been much in the looks department, the twice divorced socialite Wallis Simpson had what it took - whatever that was.... - to make a king abdicate. For her wedding to the Duke of Windsor, the former King Edward VIII, she chose, what else, Cartier wedding bands.  According to PreciousPlatinum.com, this brash American - who was a fine jewelry collector with mega-taste - declared platinum to be only choice, thankyou, for evening.

"Collection Art de Cartier" in Milan curated by International Architect Ettore Sottsass Showcased Divine Art Deco Cartier Pieces

At the "Collection Art de Cartier" exhibit in Milan's Palazzo Reale, curated by international architect and designer Ettore Sottsass - VogueGoiello.net covered the highlights of the 209 pieces covering 150 years of the design house. He selected jewelry, watches, time pieces, lipstick holders, diamond and coral compacts, and other accessories.

It's difficult to separate Cartier from its galaxy of glittery owners, like Daisy Fellowes, the Singer sewing machine heiress, to throne interloper (but at least she had divine taste in jewelry) Wallis Simpson.

From Cartier's trademark garland style to classic Art Deco - such as this platinum, gold, diamond and enamel belt buckle from Paris, 1930 - this show covered most of the important design motifs of the last century, all executed with that special Cartier flair:

• oriental
• floral
• animal

First up, one of my personal faves, the Daisy Fellowes's Tutti Frutti necklace from 1936 - which she had made for her as a pick-me-up when she was forced to sell her oceangoing yacht during the height of the Great Depression.

• A gold, cabochon amethyst and citrine Menottes bracelet, Paris, 1939
• A stunning platinum, peridot and diamond necklace and bracelet from London, 1936
• Platinum, aquamarine and diamond tiara, London, 1937

After he was invited to curate the exhibit, Sottsass was so visually overwhelmed when confronted with a table overflowing with glittery Cartier objets, he likened it to being overtaken by a hoard of butterflies, and wanting to flee. To avoid any feeling of clutter, he had the items displayed so viewers could really focus on each object.

A King With an Eye for Bling - the Cartier Patiala Necklace Commissioned by Maharaja Sir Bhupinder Singh in the 1920s Contained Rare Burmese Rubies & Almost 1000 carats of Diamonds, Including the 7th Largest Stone Ever from DeBeers

Maybe I won't come back as a wealthy, jewelry-obsessed heiress, but an uber-weathy, jewelry-obsessed Maharaja. Like the Maharaja of Patiala.

The Patiala necklace, created by Cartier in 1928 for Maharaja Sir Bhupinder Singh of Patiala, was some of the priciest jewelry ever commissioned. From the Maharaja to Amarinder Singh, today's chief minister of Punjab, this is a royal family who knows how to look the part.

In an article in SiliconIndia.com, they point out the following about the Patiala necklace:

• It contained five rows of Art Deco style platinum chains...all completely covered in 1000 carats of ice - 2930 diamonds
• The showpiece was the world's 7th largest diamond - a 234 carat DeBeers rock
• It took Cartier three years to make
• In 1948, it mysteriously disappeared from the royal family's treasury & was only recovered 50 years later, in 1998, by Cartier's Eric Nussbaum, with just the chains and some of the original stones remaining. Missing were the rare Burmese rubies and the massive DeBeers diamond.

After buying it, Cartier restored the piece to its original state using synthetic replacement stones until appropriate natural replacements can be found. Says the ever-hopeful Nussbaum in a Robb Report Luxury Portal.com article: "I'm very confident that one day it will be exactly as it was in 1928. This is my aim."

Art Deco - So Closely Associated with Cartier. It Wasn't A Single Style - but three - & Spanned A 30 Year Period

Art Deco is so closely associated with Cartier, yet the style is somewhat misunderstood because it's actually not a single style, but three that roughly spanned the years 1910 to 1940. According to a kickass piece by Tony Fusco for The Journal of Antiques and Collectibles,  (www.journalofantiques.com),  people don't realize that Art Deco didn't actually begin with the 1925 Parisian Expositional Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes (whence the moniker Art Deco originated), but had been underway for years.

The three phases of Art Deco:

1. French Art Deco - initial phase of Art Deco, a deluxe style that culminated with the 1925 expo. Characterized by Jean Dunand's delicate eggshell laquer, Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann sharkskin-covered furniture and Lalique glass sculpture.
2. Modern - second phase; Geometric & German-influenced.
3. Streamline - third & final phase in the late 30s, it reflected the influence of industrial design, machines, transportation and household appliances. Characterized by sleek, "bullet-nosed" designs & the increasingly exaggerated Hollywood style "razzmatazz" and "Screen Deco".

Fusco points out that it was the first international design style, and affected by regional differences. "The Art Deco pastel paradise of Miami Beach architecture owes more to the German Bauhaus and the design of ocean liners than it does to anything French. Flamingoes may be Miami's Art Deco bird, but in Australia it is usually a black swan one sees depicted." Part of the reason was travel: throughout the 20s and 30s, leisure travel was on the rise. Until 1939, luxury travel was the bomb, as witnessed by the luxury Ocean Liner floating hotels of the period.

Art Deco influences came from a wide variety of places:

• Design Movements: Art Nouveau, Arts & Crafts, Vienna Secession, Glasgow School in Scotland, Cubism, Holland's De Stijl movement, Italian Futurism
• The ancient cultures of Egypt, Japan, sub-saharan Africa, Mayan & Aztec empires, Meso-America, East Asia
• The Classical world
• The Exotic: Diaghilev's Les Ballets Russes created a design explosion when they performed in Paris in 1909. Josephine Baker also shocked and delighted.
• Mother Nature - tropical flora and fauna; stylized fruit and flowers and gazelles

Some of the best Cartier accessories of the period include the droolworthy cigarette cases and cigarette lighters. (photo from the McClung Museum)