Cartier, Paris

Soon after joining the family firm in 1898, Louis Cartier made the decision to expand Cartier’s offerings to include table and desk clocks.¹ Among the earliest designs introduced was the cube-form clock, and repeating models quickly became a Cartier speciality. Particularly valued for their practicality during the hours of darkness, repeating clocks allowed their owners to hear the time at the press of a pusher.

The movement of this clock was supplied through Cartier’s watch and clockmaking arm, the European Watch and Clock Co. and was made by Nocturne, a sub-brand of E. Matthey-Tissot & Cie. Founded in 1910, Nocturne’s factory was located in Les Ponts-de-Martel, just west of Neuchâtel, Switzerland. In their book Technique and History of the Swiss Watch, Jaquet and Chapuis note that Matthey-Tissot had already established a reputation for fine repeaters prior to the First World War.²

Early cube-form Cartier clocks often featured guilloché enamel decoration, drawing inspiration from the Fabergé or Russian style. These designs reflected the prevailing garland style of the early 20th century, characterised by delicate neoclassical motifs and refined ornamentation. However, as the garland aesthetic gave way to the bold geometric language of the Art Deco period, Cartier’s clocks evolved in form and decoration.

Bolder shapes and strong contrasts became a hallmark of Cartier’s design vocabulary, with the interplay of black and gold often used to enhance the dramatic, architectural quality of their timepieces. This bold juxtaposition was not only visually arresting but also aligned with the Maison’s broader embrace of luxurious minimalism, where carefully selected materials and precise craftsmanship elevated simple geometric forms into objects of exceptional elegance.

Made by the Coüet workshop, this repeating desk clock takes the structured form of the Cube clock and enhances it with the addition of Art Deco motifs. The gold octagonal dial’s angularity is softened by the presence of a stepped, sculptural embellishment on the bezel, carved from deep blue lapis lazuli. Its tiered design echoes the architectural ornamentation often found during this period, creating a striking interplay of colour and texture against the onyx panels and gold surround. This motif extends seamlessly into the base, where a series of stepped, fluted elements carved from banded agate further reinforce the Art Deco aesthetic. Accented with sugarloaf-cut lapis lazuli, these sculptural details introduce rhythm and depth to the composition, mirroring the geometric contrasts seen throughout the piece.

The clock case appears to float above the base, creating a subtle sense of weightlessness despite its solid form. This illusion is achieved through a ridged support of deep green nephrite, positioned centrally beneath the case. While the front of this element is visible, forming part of the decorative scheme, the back is discreetly concealed by the stepped motif, ensuring that the clock’s structural support remains hidden from view. The tiered construction of the base itself, rising in layers like a stylised ziggurat, enhances the visual harmony between structure and ornament, embodying Cartier’s sophisticated approach to Art Deco design.

Maurice Coüet (1885–1963) was an exceptional French clockmaker who came from a family of horologists—his grandfather had regulated table clocks for Breguet—and he inherited a passion for clockmaking at a young age. Before his exclusive partnership with Cartier began in 1911, Coüet worked for the Prévost workshop on Boulevard Sébastopol in Paris, an early supplier of clock movements to Cartier. Coüet’s inventive genius, combined with Louis Cartier’s vision, led to some of the most iconic and luxurious clocks ever created by the Maison, including the famous Comet and Mystery clocks. From 1919, Coüet’s Parisian workshop was based at 53 rue Lafayette, employing 30 specialist workers as well as additional freelancers.³

Renowned for their exceptional craftsmanship, technical ingenuity, and refined aesthetics, Coüet’s clocks are among the most highly prized by collectors today. Often incorporating innovative mechanisms, their meticulous construction and use of the finest materials ensure that they remain some of the most sought-after and celebrated timepieces in Cartier’s history.

¹ François Chaille & Franco Cologni, The Cartier Collection: Timepieces, Paris: Flammarion, 200, p. 33.

² Eugène Jaquet, Alfred Chapuis, Technique and History of the Swiss Watch, London: Hamlyn Publishing, revised edition, 1970, p. 125.

³ Hans Nadelhoffer, Cartier - Jewelers Extraordinary, London: Thames & Hudson, 1984, p. 249.