CLUB
Away from the Fairways | TEE TIME
THE GREAT TRIUMVIRATE CARTIER EXCELS AGAIN WITH THESE THREE GENRES OF WORLD-CLASS WATCHMAKING, WRITES ROBERT REID.
The Pasha de Cartier 42mm Skeleton with panther décor
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carves the obsidian stone with its coloured gradations and cuts the tourmaline into carefully graded squares. The jeweller sculpts a pouncing panther out of a bracelet made of black jade. The gem-setter traces the cobra’s curving form From menagerie in diamonds, or carefully lays out to tutti frutti to bright expanses of gems to form minimalist design, an ultra-realistic panther. By contrast, t wo of the they offer a statew a tc h e s f av o u r a b s t r a c t of-the-art synthesis f o r m s a n d s i m p l i c i t y o f of the Cartier style. o u t l i n e , i n t e g r a t i n g t h e squareness of their dials into a larger geometrical pattern. One displays a series of 28 tourmalines with a setting that is quite invisible; the other is marked by the juxtaposition of its transparent, gem-set dial and the glitter of its 19.20-carat cushion-cut yellow sapphire.
HIGH LIVING
Two of the five new pieces of Cartier High Jewellery: watch with yellow sapphire and obsidians (above left); watch with snake motif (above right) 28
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Cartier High Jewellery deploys all the virtuosity of its savoir-faire around these five unique watches, ranging between abstract design, secret watch models and menagerie motifs revisited. Precious hours are here displayed amid a dazzling array of exceptional stones – tourmalines, sapphires, emeralds and diamonds. Between cuffs, bangles or romantic toi et moi bracelets, these watches find their inspiration close to Cartier’s heart, transfiguring each watch into an exceptional jewel. From menagerie to tutti frutti to minimalist design, they offer a state-of-the-art synthesis of the Cartier style. Through these creations, the master jewellery craftsmen find their artistic voice. The gem cutter
ENIGMATIC
Mystery clocks make up an entire chapter of Cartier history and are a genuine enigma. What allows the hands to float in the centre of a dial that is totally transparent? Where are the mechanisms and the movement? These “miracles of timekeeping”, as they were called by the fashion magazine La Gazette du B on Ton in 1925, are the fruit of collaboration between Louis Cartier and an exceptional clockmaker, Maurice Coüet. The latter took his inspiration from the clocks of the famous illusionist and Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin, father of modern magic. The principle, which he adapted and developed, is based on an ingenious concept: the hands are not directly linked to the movement, HKGOLFER.COM
THE PASSION OF PASHA
Multi-angle view of Cartier’s Mystery Clock with topaz dial (above left); the Pasha de Cartier 42mm Skeleton with panther décor 30
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but are attached to two crystal discs fitted with serrated metal edges. Activated by the movement, It is as a jeweller-poet that Cartier has approached which is usually housed in the clock’s base, these this watchmaking season dedicated to an animal theme, one of its favourite sources discs then turn the hands, of inspiration. Boldness and poetry one for the minutes hand and This new work come beautifully together around a the other for the hours hand. of art glorifies completely transparent panther that So that the illusion is perfect, the demanding offers a stunning demonstration of the edges of the discs are the art of watchmaking according concealed by the hour circle. alliance between To mark the 2014 edition jewellery creations to Cartier. This new work of art glorifies of Watches & Wonders, Cartier and traditional the demanding alliance between perpetuates this timekeeping jewellery creations and traditional miracle by replacing the watchmaking. watchmaking. The Pasha de transparency of rock crystal with the brilliance of natural topaz. The abstract Cartier 42 mm watch embraces a daring skeleton appearance and design of this unique timepiece movement: the diamond-set bridges have been is reinforced by Cartier through the use of delicately worked in lightweight transparency contrasting materials in the form of silver obsidian, to form a panther’s head whose stare seems to hypnotise time itself. onyx and opaque ruby. HKGOLFER.COM