Important Watches, Pocket Watches and...

Noga Hilton Hotel, Nov 13, 2005

LOT 224

Cartier, Paris, No. 2 of a limited series, circa 1970. Very fine and rare white gold keyless Mystery Watch, accompanied by original matching Cartier chain.

CHF 20,000 - 30,000

EUR 13,000 - 20,000 / USD 16,000 - 23,000

Sold: CHF 23,000

C. Two-piece, ?knife-edge?, polished with eccentric aperture for the mystery hands with champlevé Roman chapter on the periphery. D. Clear sapphire. M. Square with canted corners, 34 x 34 mm (16 x16???) rhodium-plated, ?fausses-côtes? decoration, 17 jewels, straight line lever escapement, monometallic balance with self-compensating flat balance spring, Incablock shockproof protection on both balance pivots, aperture below the train for sapphire discs holding the hands. Signed on case and movement. Diam. 50 mm.


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Grading System
Grade:
Case: 2

Very good
Movement: 2

Very good
Dial: 01

HANDS Original

Notes

A very intelligently built watch. The idea for this type of mystery mechanism came from Armand Schwob & Frère à Paris, and was patented on 24 January 1889. Cartier furthered the idea, employing a large, high quality movement with an opening in the middle. Cartier made very few examples of these watches.