A Coveted Cartier Mystery Clock Could Fetch Over $6 Million at Auction This Fall
A marvel of high horology could soon be yours.
A coveted Cartier Portico Mystery Clock will be auctioned off at Sotheby's Important Watches sale in Switzerland this November, with the rarity expected to fetch between 3 million and 5 million Swiss francs (about $3.7 million to $6.2 million at the current exchange rate).
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Cartier horologist Maurice Couët created the Parisian label's first mystery clock, the Model A, in 1912, drawing inspiration from a magical design Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin unveiled almost a century prior. The French illusionist-turned-watchmaker presented the world's first mystery clock around 1831, equipping it with mechanisms that tricked the eye like something in his act.
Cartier's mystery clocks all have "floating" hands at the center of a translucent dial. With no visible connection to the movement, the hands appear to be driven by a mysterious, unknown force rather than, say, a gear train. For the Model A, Couët hid most of the mechanism in the base. With the newer Portico model, Couët managed to conceal the whole mechanism in the dial in a true feat of horological ingenuity. (The maison later followed up with mystery watches , shrinking the illusion and making the execution all the more impressive.)
Another example of a Cartier Mystery Clock from 1928.
Cartier's then-leading designer Charles Jacqueau gave the Portico a fresh aesthetic inspired by Oriental art, adding temple-like columns and other Asian architectural details. The clocks also exude the elegant Art Deco feel that Cartier developed in that era, with materials such as rock crystal, onyx, mother-of-pearl, jade, and gemstones adding a sense of luxury.
Cartier produced only six Portico models between 1923 and 1925, rendering each one exceptionally rare. This particular Portico was the very last made in 1925. All six models have unique features, with this one showcasing a shi-shi character carved in rock crystal at the top. The clock was bought in 1978 by Gunter Sachs—the German businessman who famously married Brigitte Bardot in 1966—and has remained in the same family since. It will be the first time it has appeared at auction in almost half a century.
"To present this 1925 model, the last ever created in the six-strong series, for the first time in nearly 50 years, is not only a privilege but also an event of remarkable importance, especially to international collectors," Sam Hines, Sotheby's global chairman of watches, said in a statement.
Sotheby's Important Watches auction will take place in Geneva, Switzerland, on November 9.
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