Gem-set desk clock, Cartier, early 1920s. Photo Sotheby's

The arched rock crystal case inset with a circular dial set with mother of pearl, blue enamel and yellow gold hands, the royal blue bezel of octagonal form applied with Roman numerals and embellished with turquoise enamel geometric elements, further decorated with two fir trees set with turquoise, onyx and lapis lazuli, movement signed Cartier and numbered, chips. Estimate: 20,000 - 30,000 CHF. Lot Sold: 37,500 CHF

LITERATURE: Cf: Franco Cologni and Ettore Mocchetti, L'Objet Cartier, 150 ans de Tradition et d' Innovation, Paris 1992, pages 92-93 and 100 for examples of similar desk clocks.

NOTE: 1918-1935
During the post war period the house of Cartier was to continue producing a fabulous array of desk accessories made from semi precious and precious materials, from paper knives to vanity cases and photograph frames to brush pots.  They became most well known for their eclectic range of decorative clocks.

Inspired by the iconic Art Deco movement with it strong geometric lines infused with elements from the Orient including China and Japan to India and darkest Africa. Cartier was to create objects whose aesthetic was determined by function rather that the Russian inspired objects of the belle Époque whose emphasis was essentially Art for Art sake.

Cartier always had a tradition for horology where during the early 20th Century they would employ several firms in the production of their jewelled clocks. The firms of Brédillard, Daonneau and Prévost with premises in Paris and workshops in Geneva would supply the movements, while the enamelled cases could be made by Dubret in Paris. It was during this period that Maurice Coüet at the Prévost workshop began to develop a talent for illusion mechanisms,
resulting in a commission for planet or comet clocks as early as 1912.

During the post war period the style moved away from the delicate garlands of the Belle Époque towards the stark geometric lines of the Art Deco movement and design was also influenced by motifs from the East and Egypt. An eclectic range of desk clocks were produced in an array of materials from jadeite and nephrite to rock crystal, coral and onyx all variously embellished with polished and facetted gemstones and diamonds.

Sotheby's. Magnificent Jewels. Geneva | 19 Nov 2008