23,000 CHF
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. Two-piece, “knife-edge”, polished with eccentric aperture for the mystery hands with champlevé Roman chapter on the periphery. Clear sapphire. 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. 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.
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2005-11-13
