Cartier

Tanis, an ancient city in the Nile River delta, was a site of major archaeological discovery, and in the 1930s French excavations there uncovered gold masks and jewellery in gold and silver. During this period, Egyptomania—a long‑standing global fascination—was firmly in fashion, shaping architecture, decorative arts and jewellery. The Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, opened in 1922, featured gold columnar decoration and beetle motifs, which also appeared in European jewellery as yellow gold became the dominant material in 1930s and 1940s women’s watch and jewellery design. Cartier had developed its own design language rooted in archaeological discoveries and symbolic Egyptian motifs.

The present reference, circa 1990, is a deliberate homage to this aesthetic. Constructed as a gold and steel cuff bracelet, the case depicts a stylised scarab motif that envelops a quartz-powered movement, with a cream dial with Roman numerals. The symmetry and sophistication of its oval and scarab motifs give the present reference a distinctly architectural presence that echoes Cartier’s Art Deco vision of Egypt.