Cartier Lacquer Arched Desk Clock with Alarm, ref. W0100037, circa 2000s — view 1 of 1
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Clocks · Clock

Cartier Lacquer Arched Desk Clock with Alarm, ref. W0100037, circa 2000s

DocumentedDocumented from an auction catalogue; attribution as stated by the auction house.
Maker / attribution
Cartier (brand / maker)
Date
circa 2000s
Country of origin
France
Object type
Clock
Materials / technique
stainless steel
Lot
Lot 374-41
Credit line
Auction lot record: LOT 41
Catalogue title (original)
CARTIER, REF. W0100037, LACQUER ARCHED DESK CLOCK WITH ALARM, STAINLESS STEEL

View the source record (auction lot) ↗

Record summary

Catalogued by Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva (lot Lot 374-41), this is a clock by Cartier, made in France, dated circa 2000s. The Atlas places it in the Mechanical Renaissance period (1990 – 2010) of its Clocks collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: stainless steel. The record is illustrated with 1 photograph.

Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.

Catalogue description

Antiquorum catalogue description

EUR 650 - 1,250 / CHF 600 - 1,150 / USD 650 - 1,300 A fine, stainless steel, quartz arched shaped desk clock with alarm, decorated with lacquared/enamel guilloché, with white dial . ( alarm setting crown is missing )

Lot specifications (Antiquorum)

Caliber: quartz; Case No.: 122269GD; Signature: Dial, case and movement

Historical context

Mechanical Renaissance (1990 – 2010)

Mechanical watches return as cultural objects; independent watchmaking flourishes.

Mechanical clocks returned as luxury and craft objects, alongside radio-controlled and designer quartz clocks. Independent makers and restorers revived traditional techniques, and museums increasingly documented industrial and electric clocks as heritage.

Read the period in the timelineMore clocks from this periodEarlier: Quartz Revolution

Atlas type guide

Alarm clocks

Alarm work is among the oldest clock functions: monastic clocks woke monks for night prayers, and Renaissance table clocks often carried an alarm disc set by a pin. A separate spring or weight is released at the set time and drives a hammer against a bell. Some early alarms also lit a candle by striking a flint — the 'tinder pistol' alarm.

The cheap, mass-produced alarm clock arrived in the second half of the nineteenth century. American firms such as Seth Thomas and Westclox (the 'Big Ben' of 1910) and German makers such as Junghans and Kienzle made millions of drum-shaped alarms with pin-pallet escapements. Electric, quartz and digital alarm clocks followed in the twentieth century.

What to look for

  • A separate alarm-setting dial or disc and an extra winding key.
  • Twin bells on top (common after c. 1920) or a bell enclosed in the base.
  • Pin-pallet escapements in inexpensive factory alarms.
  • Trademarks and patent dates on dial or back.

Dating clues

  • Renaissance alarm table clocks: sixteenth to seventeenth centuries.
  • Drum alarm clocks: from the 1870s.
  • Luminous dials with radium paint: c. 1910–1960.

General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.

Read next:Verge escapementAnchor (recoil) escapement

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