Cartier’s First Mystery Clock Model A
Auctioned by Bonhams in Hong Kong for HK$6.9 million
More than 50 competitive bids from international collectors pushed the price of this horological showpiece to four times above its presale estimate, going on to set a new auction record for any Cartier Model A Mystery Clock. The first Cartier mystery clock of its kind, it captivated the world upon its launch 110 years ago with the ‘mystery’ of its two bejewelled hands, which appeared to float in a crystal-clear case without any mechanical parts. The secret of how to create each mystery clock was so closely guarded by Cartier that even its own sales team had no knowledge of the mechanism behind it until decades later.