I · The Maker/II · The Object/III · The Record/IV · Acquisition
Room I · The Maker
Cartier's watches of the 1920s were built and signed by the European Watch and Clock Co., the arm Cartier used to make its finest movements. A solid-onyx case from this period is one of the hardest things Cartier ever attempted; hardstone is difficult to cut, finish and keep intact, which is why so few survive whole. Against that black ground the gold chapter ring and the full one-carat old-cut diamond set into the back read like jewellery rather than horology. This is the Cartier system working as intended: movement and object conceived together, not a bought-in calibre dropped into a decorative case.
The Object
A disc of solid black onyx with a full one-carat old-cut diamond set into its back and Cartier's name across a silvered dial. Art Deco dress watchmaking at its most confident, and one of the rarest forms Cartier ever gave a pocket watch.
It is a disc of solid black onyx, 48.2mm across, polished to a deep even shine, hung from a triangular platinum bow with a fluted crown seated between its prongs. Against that black ground Cartier set everything that matters: a ring of gold Roman numerals on black enamel, a silvered guilloché centre signed Cartier, blued steel Breguet hands, and, in the middle of the caseback, a single old-cut diamond of a full carat that catches the light every time the watch is turned over. It tells the time and does nothing else.
Onyx gives the watch its character and its rarity at once: unforgiving to work when the case was made, and easy to chip in any year since. This example has kept its edges and its shine, the surfaces clean, the stone whole, with only the light surface marks of age to the back.
Look closely and the detailing is late Cartier at its most exact: beaded gold tracks framing the chapter ring, small gold florets at the hours, Arabic minute numerals in the outer ring, the deep blue of the hands floating over the pale silver centre. Nothing is loud, and everything is deliberate. Between the black stone, the white metal and the single white diamond, the watch reads as jewellery first and mechanism second, which is exactly how Cartier meant it.
It winds through the fluted crown, sets cleanly and runs as it should, and it keeps the small thing that usually vanishes first: its original red Cartier pouch.
The marks, the movement and the condition are set out piece by piece in the drawers below; Cartier's maker of record is set out in The Record.
Beneath the case
Open each drawer to look closer
Mark 1
Cartier dial signature
The silvered guilloché dial is signed CARTIER above the centre.
dial
signature
Mark 2
European Watch & Clock Co.
The movement carries the EWC signature, Cartier's maker of record in this period.
movement
maker
Mark 3
Case & metal marks
Control and maker marks to the platinum bow and onyx case.
case
platinum
The Movement
Photography coming soon
This movement is awaiting its studio session.
Case
Excellent
Solid onyx, polished and sharp; only light honest surface marks to the caseback consistent with age, no chips or cracks.
Dial
Excellent
Silvered guilloche centre, bright with a faint even tone; black enamel chapter ring intact, all gold Roman numerals and florets present.
Diamond
Excellent
One-carat (6.5mm) old-cut white diamond set into the caseback, bright and secure.
Movement
Excellent
European Watch and Clock Co. manual-wind keyless lever; winds, sets and runs correctly. Full service history not known.
Crystal
Excellent
Domed crystal, clear, with no cracks or chips.
Crown
Excellent
Platinum bow with a fluted winding crown, good winding resistance.
Accessories
Excellent
Original red Cartier pouch.
48.24
This watch
25.75
€2 coin
A €2 coin is 25.75 mm. This case is more than two and a half times its area.
Room III · The Record
Cartier's own signature, still with its pouch
The movement is signed by the European Watch and Clock Co., the house Cartier used to build and sign its watches through the 1920s and 1930s, the detail that ties this onyx case to Cartier's own workshops rather than a bought-in calibre. It has kept its original red Cartier pouch, the small piece of provenance that usually goes missing first.
- Maker
- Cartier
- Model
- Art Deco onyx dress watch
- Case
- Solid onyx (platinum bow)
- Diameter
- 48.24mm
- Movement
- European Watch and Clock Co., manual wind, keyless lever
- Case style
- Open face
- Dial
- Silvered guilloche, signed Cartier
- Numerals
- Gold Roman on black enamel chapter ring
- Hands
- Blued steel, Breguet style
- Diamond
- 1 carat (6.5mm) old-cut white diamond, set to the caseback
- Complications
- None (time only)
- Year
- C.1925
- Country
- France (Cartier)
- Accessories
- Original red Cartier pouch
The Estate Collection
Room IV · Acquisition
€45.000
We’d love to discuss our passion for this piece with you.
Cartier
€45.000
Enquiry
The Onyx Cartier
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