Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo is proud to present an exceptional, unique, and museum-quality nephrite clock by Cartier in the 1920s, exemplifying the brand’s artistic brilliance of the Art Deco. It will be offered in the Evening Session of The Hong Kong Watch Auction: XX on 23 May.
Designed in the form of a Chinese lantern, it glows from within when illuminated, showcasing the translucent jade’s ethereal beauty. Rich in cultural symbolism, the clock features coral floral motifs, dual mother-of-pearl dials with Chinese numerals, and dragon-shaped hands, evoking imperial imagery and themes of fortune, prosperity, and divine authority.
Besides its exceptional workmanship, the clock has two fascinating royal provenances. Identified by the crown topped by a half crescent and a star on the top of the clock, and further confirmed by a recently rediscovered commercial invoice issued by Cartier, this Egyptian Royal Crown was added on the clock for the occasion of Princess Fawzia’s wedding on 15 March 1939 to the Crown Prince of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. What’s even more fascinating is two black and white photographs, most probably provided by Cartier in March of 1939, showing that the clock originally had a crown on each side – the still present Egyptian Royal Crown and the Iranian Pahlavi Crown, now lost. The invoice dated 15 March 1939 (the day of the wedding) further confirms that this clock was made as a special-order marriage gift for Princess Fawzia. The invoice details: One Chinese pagoda clock in jade, mother of pearl, coral, enamel, onyx, upgraded to an illuminated desk timepiece for the price of 18,000 francs and two platinum diamond-set Egyptian and Iranian crowns for the price of 3,500 francs, for a total of 21,500 francs.
Thanks to a telegram which comes together with the Cartier invoice, we can conclude that the clock was ordered by Princess Fawzia’s half-sister Princess Fawkia of Egypt as a wedding gift for Fawzia’s marriage to the Iranian Crown Prince. Fawkia had moved to Paris where she met her second husband, Count Wladimir of Adix-Dellmensingen, a captain in the Russian Imperial Army infantry. The commercial invoice is addressed to Princess Fewkie at the Hotel Trianon in Versailles/Paris.
The wedding of Princess Fawzia and Reza Pahlavi, then Crown Prince of Iran and later the Shah, was incredibly lavish. It was luxury at an unprecedented level – celebrating the unison of two very important royal families. Princess Fawzia, who later became the Queen of Iran when Reza Pahlavi became the Shah, said it was a remarkable thing that her father, brother and husband were all kings. It turned out that a few years later, all of this was lost, when both Egypt and Iran abolished the kingdom and the Shah’s ruling. The Egyptian Princess however, remained in the hearts of the people of Egypt and Iran as she mesmerized the world with her charm, intelligence and beauty. Cecil Beaton photographed her and called her the “Venus of Asia”. Other royal families and the media were equally captivated by her, and she was even featured on the cover of Life magazine in 1942.
Her marriage with the Shah turned out to be an unhappy one. In 1945, Fawzia moved back to Cairo and obtained an Egyptian divorce. We assume that since the clock was gifted for her marriage, she took it back to Egypt with her when she parted with the Shah. As she was no longer the Ǫueen of Iran, we assume that the Iranian Crown was removed from the clock at her request, hence leaving only the Egyptian Crown as seen on the present clock.
King Farouk of Egypt, who reigned from 1936 to 1952, was known not only for his political influence but also for his extraordinary passion for luxury and opulence, particularly when it came to watches and jewelry. A discerning collector, Farouk amassed an impressive array of timepieces and fine jewelry, often indulging in the most exquisite and rare creations from renowned European maisons such as Vacheron Constantin, Breguet, Patek Philippe, Cartier, Rolex and Bulgari. His collection included pieces that were highly personalized, often incorporating his crown and sometimes even with his initials. Notably, he owned a number of items from Cartier such as a mystery clock, with an octagonal shaped rock crystal dial and a gold rim set with black enamel and coral, which now resides in the Cartier Collection. After the 1952 Egyptian revolution, Farouk went into exile in Monaco and later Italy.With its royal provenance and also as a work of art and horological excellence, this Cartier clock is a testament to the opulence and sophistication of its era, deserving of a place in the most prestigious collections and museums
