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Lot Essay
The first mystery clock called ‘Model A’ was introduced by Louis Cartier in 1912 in collaboration with a talented clockmaker Maurice Couët (1885-1963). The clock quickly became popular with Cartier’s customers and secured a special place in the company’s history.
The illusion of hands floating in space, as if unconnected to any mechanical movement, gave the name of ‘mystery clocks’ or 'pendules mystérieuses'. In fact, the hands are attached to two glass discs, each fitted into a metal border edged with gear teeth. The metal borders of the disks are hidden in the minute track, while the movement is housed in the clock case at the base.
Maurice Couët came from a family of clockmakers, his father and grandfather worked for Breguet. In 1911 Couët became Cartier’s exclusive clockmaker, having worked for Cartier's clock supplier earlier.
The mystery clock was not an entirely new idea. Couët was inspired by the clocks of the famous illusionist and magician Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin (1805-1871), who presented his first mystery clock to public at a French Exhibition in 1839. Using the same idea, Couët blended exquisite craftsmanship, elegant Art Deco design and the most technologically advanced mechanisms, resulting in works that continue to entertain and fascinate the observer with their illusion and beauty.
'Model A' came in a number of versions with variations, with the base in onyx, agate, nephrite or gold, the decoration of the dial and frame or the shape of the hands. The secrets of the Mystery Clock were closely guarded, even from Cartier’s own staff, ensuring the ‘magic’ of each timepiece was preserved. Hugely complex objects, they would take up to a year to construct and were manufactured exclusively by the Paris branch. The first 'Model A' was sold at Cartier in New York to the American financial magnate J. P. Morgan Jr. in 1913. Mystery clocks soon became desired objects, with European monarchs, Indian maharajas, English aristocrats and American heiresses aspiring to acquire them.
The production of mystery clocks peaked between 1912 and 1930 when the company made around one hundred per year. Cartier continued production until the outbreak of the Second World War when the manufacture of mystery clocks was put on hold. A few pieces were probably made in the post-war years, but the glorious works of art did not reappear for more than forty years. In 1981 Cartier introduced new mystery clocks to an eager public. Even today, these bejeweled clocks are considered by many to be one of Cartier’s greatest technical achievements.
Mystery clocks are described and illustrated in H. Nadelhoffer, Cartier: Jewelers Extraordinary, New York, 1999, pp. 250-254, F. Chaille and F. Cologni, The Cartier Collection - Timepieces, New York, 2006, pp. 196-221, Cartier - Time Art by Jack Forster, pp. 110-125, The Art of Cartier, Musée du Petit Palais, 1989-1900, p. 149, Le Temps de Cartier by Jader Barracca, Giampiero Negretti and Franco Nencini, p. 99, The Cartier Museum at the Goldsmiths' Hall, London, 1988, pl. 18, Retrospective Louis Cartier Masterworks of Art Deco, Los Angeles County Museum, 1982-1983, pl. 15, and Retrospective Louis Cartier - 101 Years of the Jeweler's Art, Cartier, New York, 1976, pl. 99.
A similar mystery clock was sold at Christie's, New York, 16-26 April 2021, lot 328 ($562,500).
The illusion of hands floating in space, as if unconnected to any mechanical movement, gave the name of ‘mystery clocks’ or 'pendules mystérieuses'. In fact, the hands are attached to two glass discs, each fitted into a metal border edged with gear teeth. The metal borders of the disks are hidden in the minute track, while the movement is housed in the clock case at the base.
Maurice Couët came from a family of clockmakers, his father and grandfather worked for Breguet. In 1911 Couët became Cartier’s exclusive clockmaker, having worked for Cartier's clock supplier earlier.
The mystery clock was not an entirely new idea. Couët was inspired by the clocks of the famous illusionist and magician Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin (1805-1871), who presented his first mystery clock to public at a French Exhibition in 1839. Using the same idea, Couët blended exquisite craftsmanship, elegant Art Deco design and the most technologically advanced mechanisms, resulting in works that continue to entertain and fascinate the observer with their illusion and beauty.
'Model A' came in a number of versions with variations, with the base in onyx, agate, nephrite or gold, the decoration of the dial and frame or the shape of the hands. The secrets of the Mystery Clock were closely guarded, even from Cartier’s own staff, ensuring the ‘magic’ of each timepiece was preserved. Hugely complex objects, they would take up to a year to construct and were manufactured exclusively by the Paris branch. The first 'Model A' was sold at Cartier in New York to the American financial magnate J. P. Morgan Jr. in 1913. Mystery clocks soon became desired objects, with European monarchs, Indian maharajas, English aristocrats and American heiresses aspiring to acquire them.
The production of mystery clocks peaked between 1912 and 1930 when the company made around one hundred per year. Cartier continued production until the outbreak of the Second World War when the manufacture of mystery clocks was put on hold. A few pieces were probably made in the post-war years, but the glorious works of art did not reappear for more than forty years. In 1981 Cartier introduced new mystery clocks to an eager public. Even today, these bejeweled clocks are considered by many to be one of Cartier’s greatest technical achievements.
Mystery clocks are described and illustrated in H. Nadelhoffer, Cartier: Jewelers Extraordinary, New York, 1999, pp. 250-254, F. Chaille and F. Cologni, The Cartier Collection - Timepieces, New York, 2006, pp. 196-221, Cartier - Time Art by Jack Forster, pp. 110-125, The Art of Cartier, Musée du Petit Palais, 1989-1900, p. 149, Le Temps de Cartier by Jader Barracca, Giampiero Negretti and Franco Nencini, p. 99, The Cartier Museum at the Goldsmiths' Hall, London, 1988, pl. 18, Retrospective Louis Cartier Masterworks of Art Deco, Los Angeles County Museum, 1982-1983, pl. 15, and Retrospective Louis Cartier - 101 Years of the Jeweler's Art, Cartier, New York, 1976, pl. 99.
A similar mystery clock was sold at Christie's, New York, 16-26 April 2021, lot 328 ($562,500).