A work of exceptional engineering and stylish artistry, this mystery clock by Cartier is known as a “prism” clock. Crafted in a sleek Art Deco style with simulated lapis lazuli accents, this silver-plated desk clock is equipped with a set of crystal prisms and mirrors. These allow the dial, which is concealed in the base, to become visible through the glass window, but only from a certain angle.
Like many of Cartier’s inspirations for clocks, the present clock also drew from the elements of magic and illusion. In 1898, Louis Cartier, one of the three Cartier brothers and grandson of founder Louis-François, moved to 13 rue de La Paix with his father, Alfred. During this time frame, society’s interests were gravitating heavily towards a new found fascination illusion, magic and the slight of hand and as more people became interested in the artistry of Houdini and other similarly accredited magicians, the Cartier brothers looked to incorporate this fascination into the foothold of many of their table clocks which used various elements of illusion to hide the working mechanism or even the dial as a whole giving way to the invention famously known as the mystery clock. As a result the ‘Pendules Mystérieuses’, or mystery clocks and other fascinating illusions , were Cartier’s masterpieces, and continued to epitomise the company’s exceptional artistry for decades to come in their objects of virtu and desk clocks so successfully that this incorporation made the clocks more desirable then any other in the world.
Historically, it is a well known fact that Cartier guarded the secret behind these masterpieces fiercely — even at the expense of their own sales staff which they would change around so nobody would learn of the way the invention was being created. ‘It was not simply a matter of the name; the “Mystery”clock always contained a secret that was supposed to be never revealed,’ explains Hans Nadelhoffer in his book, Cartier: Jewellers Extraordinary. ‘Over-inquisitive salesmen at the Rue de la Paix, who tried to force explanations from the craftsmen, were rebuffed and fired even.
For decades examples of The wonder clocks such as this example have had their secret guarded like the Sphinx, and Cartier protected them from the eyes of prying admirers and competitors alike. Even To this day Cartier is still the only creator of this clock design. Mystery clocks are considered by many to be one of the House of Cartier’s greatest achievements. Queen Mary was given a Mystery clock in 1924; in 1945, General Charles de Gaulle presented one of these ingenious creations to Joseph Stalin.
The example we have on offer is in near NOS condition, with hardly any signs of wear. It was fully serviced by Cartier in May 2024 and thus still under Cartier warranty. All service papers are provided with the clock.
