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.
