The Shapes of Cartier
Cartier, Paris
Retailed by Cartier London: Éclipse Guillotine | A yellow gold and champlevé enamel Art Deco wristwatch with ‘guillotine’ shutters | Circa 1930-31
Live auction begins on:
May 10, 09:00 AM GMT
Estimate
24,000 - 40,000 CHF
Lot Details
Description
Dial: silvered dial signed Cartier France, black outer minute track, blued steel moon hands
Calibre: 7½’’’ LeCoultre grained lever movement signed and numbered European Watch and Clock Co. 413239, 17 jewels, bi-metallic compensation 04/02/2025 13:46:27 900457.indd 4 balance with timing and poising screws, adjusted to temperature and 2 positions, Breguet hairspring
Movement number: gilded movement framework numbered 23'580, 413'239
Case: 18k yellow gold, the front with Roman numerals inlaid with black champlevé enamel, a trio of raised pyramidal studs above and below the chapter ring set against a finely vertically ribbed background, two central gold ‘guillotine’ shutters with horizontal ribbing, shutters opening to reveal the dial by means of long polished gold pushers between down-turned lugs, gold spring bars, polished case sides and back, ridged flat winding crown, case top secured by four screws, outside case back with script engraving ‘Gaspard June 7th, 1931’ and with hand stamped numbers 23580 • 5083 • 413239 & further engraved Made in France, case crown side and both pushers with French eagle’s head control mark, pushers additionally with punch for Edmond Jaeger, inside case back hand stamped 23580, 413239 • 5083 • and with JC sponsor’s mark for Jacques Cartier & London import hallmarks for 1930-31, interior of case numbered 23580, 413239, underside of shutters each with French eagle’s head control mark, punch and numbered 80, inner white metal semi-circular framework for the shutters’ pushers each numbered 80
Case number: Paris Reference No. 23'580, London Subsidiary Stock No. • 5083 •
Closure: later 18k gold Cartier deployant clasp, stamped [BC] 18k Cartier, Swiss
Size: 20.5 x 37 mm (width x length including lugs)
Box: yes
Papers: no
Accessories: Cartier presentation box
During the 1920s and 1930s, the rise of leisure and sporting pursuits encouraged watchmakers to develop innovative case designs offering greater protection. Among these, Cartier introduced its elegant shutter form wristwatch, derived from the Sac à Guillotine Bébé purse watch, creating a distinctive and highly refined solution to the “protected” watch concept alongside contemporaries such as the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso. Other approaches included protective grills operating in a manner similar to Venetian blinds.
Ordered by Cartier London, it is believed that only around 50 Éclipse Guillotine wristwatches were produced for the English market in the 1930s. While closely related to earlier purse watch designs, the case was carefully reworked with pronounced downturned lugs and smooth, polished surfaces to enhance comfort on the wrist. The signature sliding shutters, based on systems developed and patented by Edmond Jaeger from 1909 onwards and refined in 1928, offer both protection and a captivating display, exemplifying a perfect balance between form and function. The cases were manufactured by Georges Larmanger, a specialist in guillotine purse watch production. Notably, these wristwatch models feature plain polished case sides and backs, unlike the purse watch versions, whose decoration extended across the entire case, a refinement that further improved wearability.
A striking example of avant garde design, the present watch is further distinguished by a hand engraved inscription to the case back reading “Gaspard June 7th 1931,” adding a layer of personal history to an already rare and technically inventive timepiece.