Cartier Art Deco Table Clock

This Art Deco period table clock by Cartier is an extremely rare find and in a class of its own. Crafted of black lacquer, no detail was spared by the famed firm in creating this high-quality, luxury timepiece. The silver square dial, signed "Cartier Electric," features deep black lacquer hands with a gilt outline, forming a geometric motif that is quintessentially Art Deco in design. What sets this timepiece apart as a masterpiece of Cartier craftsmanship is the bright pops of color created by the coral mounts above and below the clock's face, and capping the polished stone panels on each side.

By the mid-1930s, Cartier began to experiment with electric clocks. The luxury firm created the Delvicar company expressly for the purpose of manufacturing movements for electrical clocks; the interior movement of this Art Deco timepiece contains their signature. The extreme expenses associated with the project, combined with a lack of commercial interest and the outbreak of World War II, ended Cartier's short-lived explorations into electric timepieces. Cartier Electric clocks such as these are exceedingly rare, as they had only a brief period of manufacture between 1935 and 1938.

The Cartier tradition of clock and watchmaking extends almost as far back as the founding of the company in 1898. Cartier's clocks and watches were manufactured with an emphasis on technical perfection, fashionable aesthetics and originality. At first a secondary activity, Cartier’s definitive approach to l’horlogerie quickly became a point of prestige for this famed company.

Dial marked "CARTIER ELECTRIC"
Movement signed "Delvicar"

Circa 1935-38

4 3/4" high x 4 1/4" wide x 2 1/4" deep

Literature:
Hans Nadelhoffer,Cartier, 2007, p. 275.