The Shapes of Cartier
Cartier, Paris
A platinum and diamond-set pendant watch with pearl and diamond-set chatelaine, Circa 1910
No reserve
Auction Closed
June 15, 08:08 PM GMT
Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Dial: silvered engine-turned sunburst patterned dial signed Cartier Paris, Bte S.G.D.G. (Breveté Sans Garantie Du Gouvernement), stylised flower-form motif to centre, stretched black radial Roman numerals, inner chemin-de fer minute track, blued steel Breguet hands
Caliber: 10¼’’’ circular movement signed Cartier, Paris, damascened Côtes de Genève decoration, lever escapement, 18 jewels, bi-metallic compensation balance with timing and poising screws, eight adjustments, flat hairspring
Movement number: numbered to movement beneath dial 10'642, 1
Case: platinum cushion-form case, polished case back with millegrain rose-cut diamond-set framed monogram MB, edge of case back diamond-set, stylized buckle-form lugs for the chatelaine with millegrain rose-cut diamond setting, diamond-set beaded winding crown, polished cushion form slim bezel secured by eight screws to the underside
Case number: interior of case top hand stamped 10'642, 1 and with French eagle’s head assay mark, interior of mid-body hand stamped 10'642, 3'639 and with French eagle's head assay mark, inside case back hand stamped 4'902 and 10'642, with French eagle’s head assay mark and Edmond Jaeger punch mark
Closure: short chatelaine composed of woven flexible pearl chain emanating from the case’s lug and terminating in platinum millegrain diamond-set panel with openwork diamond-set square frame and central stylised floral motif of radiating leaf-like forms around a larger central diamond, pendant hook to frame’s back
Size: 28 x 28 mm, the length of the watch with the chatelaine is approximately 90 mm
Box: no
Papers: no
François Chaille, Franco Cologni, The Cartier Collection: Timepieces, Paris: Flammarion, 2006. See p. 117 for a similar watch also with diamond-set monogram but with pendant bow and chain rather than broad lug and chatelaine.
This rare cushion-shaped pocket watch, made by Cartier c.1910, brings the modern use of platinum to the forefront of its design. Featuring a square case, the watch marks a pivotal moment in Louis Cartier’s aesthetic evolution, highlighting his shift from the ornate garland style to more geometric-inspired forms. Platinum’s strength, purity, and versatility are evident in the precise shaping and close fitting construction of the bezel, as well as the broad, flat case back, adorned with an intricately arranged millegrain setting of rose-cut diamonds. The shimmering brilliance of the platinum provides a perfect contrast to the delicate radiance of the diamonds.
The watch’s design closely follows a patent (no. 421746) filed by Edmond Jaeger on October 22, 1910, which describes a cushion-shaped case with a slim bezel secured by eight screws from underneath – an ingenious detail that enhances both structural integrity and visual refinement. The case is stamped with the French eagle’s head assay mark. Although the case is platinum, the eagle’s head, the standard assay mark for gold, was also used to mark platinum in France from 1847 until December 1912, when the dog’s head hallmark was introduced exclusively for platinum.