Business

17 February 2016

The suspended time of Cartier

During the 2016 SIHH (Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie) in Geneva, Cartier has presented its mysterious watch transposed onto sumptuous bracelets.

Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin, a famous illusionist and enthusiast of automatons and also watches, invented the Cartier mysterious watch movement integrated into pieces of jewelry featuring a dragon or a snake. In the nineteenth century, it was he who developed a transparent dial with an isolated movement where the hands are seemingly suspended in space. In reality, they are fixed in two turning crystal discs with serrated metal edges that are connected to a hidden rack in the frame. The latter’s attachment is usually hidden in the base of the mechanism. This “magic trick” won over Cartier that began regularly producing models from 1912. This unprecedented combination highlights the ingenuity and virtuosity of these singular workings amidst the decorative patterns of Eastern inspiration like chimeras, dragons and Buddhas. For over 100 years, the wealth of materials, onyx, enamel, jade, diamonds or moonstone echoes these architectural lines. Time in reality, does seem suspended.

Most popular articles

Mouzannar, from one generation to the next

Beirut’s historic souks are now but a memory. But this is where Selim’s story began.

Journey around the Workbench: the Bench Peg

When new, this small board is a rather underwhelming object, with no intrinsic value. But over time, It’s a real wonder.

The Trunk Show Trend

The trunk show is to the designer what the concert is to the musician: a way to meet the public and generate sales. Long practiced in the US and Asia, the...

Auctions: does brand-new jewelry have a place?

Well aware of the difficulties in selling contemporary jewelry, Sotheby’s is exploring a new path.

News from Selim Mouzannar in Beirut

“Believing and fighting for peace is our hope.”

The revenge of cultured pearls?

The market is completely out of whack, and nobody knows for how long.