Cartier Lapis Lazuli Minute Repeater Clock, Silver dial with EWC Movement

Dealer description — Oliver & Clarke

By the mid 1970s, Cartier has secured itself as a global name in luxury goods — namely jewelry, and of course, watches. But prior to this time, the maison was much smaller and produced far fewer goods. As such, anything prior to the early 1970s can be considered special, rare, and usually interesting... And anything from earlier than the 1930s can be considered unobtanium ... So, when we came across this blue box from circa the 1920s, you might be able to imagine our reaction. You also may have noticed that this isn't even a watch. So whats going on? What we have here, of course, is a clock. But not just any clock... This piece is constructed out of brass and features cut slabs of the vibrant and alluring blue stone Lapis Lazuli which line all outer surfaces. Clearly, even in period, this would have been a high-end product, perhaps even a special order. The case envelops a simple silver dial that bears the Cartier and France script on the top half, an outer 'railroad' minute track, beautiful stylized-'Arabic' numerals rendered in Radium, and an equally stunning blued-steel 'cathedral' handset to match. The movement powering this piece is, as you'd expect from this era of Cartier, a European Watch & Clock Co. unit, operated by using the crown on the top. So what is the button on the right? Push it, wait a few seconds, and then you hear the chime of the minute and hours. Thats right, this clock is a minute repeater, and perhaps the coolest form of minute repeater in that it only appears to be a simple time-only clock. Now hopefully you can see what we couldn't resist... can you?