This lavishly decorated desk timepiece can be attributed to the Coüet workshop.

Maurice Coüet (1885–1963), a renowned French clockmaker began collaborating with Cartier in 1911.

Coming from a family of horologists, Coüet produced some of the most iconic clocks of the Art Deco period, including technical marvels like mystery clocks and planet/comet timepieces. His Paris workshop, employing 30 specialists, crafted these luxurious pieces using materials like rock crystal, gold, and precious stones, blending traditional horology with sleek and artistic designs.

The clock’s design is especially noteworthy for its intricate use of contrasting techniques, including a frame of green nephrite, carved jade spandrels and a shimmering lacque burgauté decorated dial - a complex East Asian inlay method using iridescent shell pieces and lacquer. During the Art Deco period, Cartier embraced the trend for Oriental designs, integrating motifs and materials inspired by Asia, the Middle East, and Egypt into their luxury objects and jewellery.

This fascination with the “exotic” was reflected in their Chinese-inspired lacquerwork, Indian-style gemstones, and the use of scarabs and hieroglyphic patterns in designs inspired by Egyptian archaeology. Their use of materials such as jade, coral, lacquer, and mother-of-pearl was drawn from traditional Asian crafts, while their aesthetic echoed the bold geometric forms of Art Deco, blending modernity with historical and foreign influences.

Cartier’s exotic-inspired objects—like cigarette cases, vanity boxes, and clocks—featured motifs such as dragons, pagodas, and oriental gardens, often framed by the Art Deco’s linear, geometric shapes (see Fig. 1, Sold Sotheby’s New York, Magnificent Jewels, 7 June 2024, Lot 14).

This fusion of styles catered to the affluent clientele’s desire for pieces that reflected both modern luxury and the allure of faraway cultures, reinforcing Cartier’s role as a trendsetter in this period of East-meets-West design.

For a similar example see Fig 2 which was sold Sotheby’s New York, Important Watches, 9 December 2022, Lot 61