Mystery Clocks
The ?Pendules Mystérieuses?, or Mystery Clocks, were Cartier's masterpieces, the result of the collaboration of Louis Cartier, his principal creative advisors, and the technical skill of Maurice Couët. These clocks were developed after a careful study of those created by Robert-Houdin, the French magician and clockmaker (1805-1871). Couët was 28 years old when he brought his ?mysterious? clock creation to Cartier. The fascination of Couët's invention is based on the principal of an optical illusion. Couët's first mystery clock relied on a lateral double-axle system. In 1920, he devised another model using a single, central axle and subsequently, both methods were used. The mystery is in that the hands that appear to float in space without any connection to the movement, when in fact they are each fixed onto a separate crystal disc. These discs are each surrounded by a tooth-edged border and driven by worm screws fixed at the ends of the two lateral axles, working at the levels of 9 and 3 o'clock, invisibly concealed within the frame. The rotation of the axles is activated by the movement hidden in the base. Therefore, it is not the hands which move but each disc on which they are individually fixed, at two different speeds, one for the hours and one for the minutes. The present lot was previously sold by Antiquorum, April 13, 2002, lot 82.

Cartier
In 1847, Louis-François Cartier took over Adolphe Picard's jewelry workshop at 31, rue Montorgueil in Paris, establishing the House of Cartier. The Paris of Napoleon III soon became alive again with balls and celebrations. The splendors of the Second Empire contributed greatly to the growth of the Cartier firm, with patrons such as Princess Mathilde, the Emperor's first cousin. In 1859, the company moved to 9 boulevard des Italiens, in the heart of fashionable Paris. Louis-François Cartier attracted the favor of Empress Eugénie and became friendly with Worth, the great couturier of international renown. In 1899, Cartier moved to the prestigious premises at 13 rue de la Paix, where the firm remains to this day. Alfred Cartier entrusted his three sons with the future of the firm. Two generations later, Cartier had firmly established itself as the world?s most prestigious jeweler. With the aid of brilliant clockmaker Maurice Couët, Cartier developed their remarkable mystery clocks (based on Robert Houdin's principle dating from circa 1850). The most beautiful of these are six "Portico" and twelve "Chinoise? clocks. These clocks are to Cartier what Imperial Easter Eggs are to Fabergé. Wristwatches, in stock since 1888 according to the Cartier archives, knew enormous success with the introduction of the Santos model in 1911. The prototype was given by Louis Cartier to the Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont in 1904. Under Louis Cartier's management, the company was tirelessly innovative. He revolutionized the art of jewelry, taking Haute Joaillerie, clock-making and accessories to the summit of art, creating a new form of luxury consumption. The year 1979 marked the historic unification of Cartier's worldwide interests with the creation of Cartier Monde, uniting Cartier Paris, Cartier London, and Cartier New York. In 1989 and 1990 the first major exhibition of the Cartier Collection was staged, at the request of a museum of international renown. Entitled "The Art de Cartier," it was held at the Musée du Petit Palais in Paris. In 1993, the Vendôme Luxury Group was created by Joseph Kanoui, president of Cartier Monde. Today it includes the following brands: Cartier, Alfred Dunhill, Montblanc, Piaget, Baume & Mercier, Vacheron Constantin, Lancel, Chloé, Sulka, Hackett, Seeger and James Purdey and Sons. Cartier International, one of the world's leading luxury goods companies, designs, manufactures and distributes all of Cartier's products. The company markets a broad range of luxury products, including jewelry, watches, pens, lighters, silver and crystal, through a global network of 185 Cartier stores and 8,000 authorized dealers located in 123 countries.