197 Cartier A highly fascinating and extremely rare, Fabergé-Egg style manual clock in green jasper, diamonds and yellow gold, with hobnail dial and diamond hands, and fitted presentation box.

Estimate: € 25.000 –⁠ 50.000

In the pantheon of horological and decorative arts, few names evoke such poetic grandeur and timeless enchantment as Cartier and Fabergé — each an emblem of the Belle Époque’s final flourish, and together a synthesis of fantasy, form, and the highest tradition of craftsmanship. Fabergé, famed imperial jeweler to the Russian court, elevated the object of time to the level of sculpture, creating ornate, playful and exquisite objets d’art for the Tsars, aristocracy, and refined patrons across Europe. Cartier, meanwhile, stood at the vanguard of design innovation in Paris, London and New York, experimenting with radical forms, bold materials and an unerring sense for elegance. When the creative ethos of these two houses converged — whether through collaboration, influence, or shared spirit — the result was nothing short of majestic. During the first decades of the 20th century, as both firms traded ideas and commissions across continents, they conjured a world of refined whimsy: mystery clocks, objets d’art, and desk pieces that remain, to this day, among the most desired treasures of their respective oeuvres. The present clock is one such treasure — a resplendent Cartier Fabergé-style clock of remarkable rarity, emotional resonance, and collector’s allure. The "case" is carved from polished green jasper, shaped into an egg — the most iconic and evocative of Fabergé's motifs — and stands proudly on a deep lapis lazuli pedestal base, each element trimmed in warm yellow gold. The dial itself is an elegant oval cartouche of guilloché gold, its texture subtly shifting in the light, framed by a beaded gold border and surmounted by diamond-set hour markers, each hand-applied in delicate symmetry. The hands — perfectly stylized — are also diamond-set and display a brilliance befitting the high jeweler’s tradition. The surface of the egg is further adorned with diamond-set decorative rosettes and brilliant-cut accents, arranged in harmonious intervals that give the object both architectural balance and ornamental charm. The entire piece carries the sense of joyful theatre: a clock, yes — but also an objet of quiet grandeur and imperial nostalgia. Presented and preserved in its original Cartier red leather presentation case, the folding open like a stage curtain to reveal the clock nestled within an ivory silk-lined interior. Pieces of this calibre rarely surface. They speak not only to artistry, but to a lost era of custom-made confections, when the great maisons of Europe answered the call of beauty with imagination and unmatched technique. With its storied lineage, exquisite execution, and untouched presentation, this clock is not merely decorative — it is a relic of fantasy, captured in stone, diamond, and time.

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