State of the Art

The Saffronart Blog

Posts filed in Jewellery and Timepieces

Cartier: A Chic Way to Wake Up

November 15, 2012

Manjari Sihare of Saffronart explores Cartier’s timekeeping history

New York: This week The Story by Saffronart offers a unique selection of watches and clocks in its collection, The Art of Keeping Time. An exquisite highlight of the collection is a Cartier Art Deco Alarm Clock from the 1990s.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Of all luxury brands, perhaps one which most people are familiar with is Cartier. The firm established in Paris in 1847 by Louis-François Cartier, an apprentice to Parisian jeweler Adolphe Picard, who took over the business at the death of his master. In less than 6 years, by 1853, young Louis-François became a favorite of Napoleon III’s cousin Princess Mathilde, who was single handedly instrumental in his entry into Parisian society. For most part of the 19th century, Cartier was strictly a jeweler. It was not until the reigns of the company passed on to his sons, Louis, Pierre, and Jacques that the Paris jeweler’s name became synonymous with wristwatches.

In 1904, Brazilian aviation pioneer, Alberto-Santos Dumont complained to his friend Louis Cartier about the non–reliability of pocket watches which prompted Louis to craft a more reliable alternative. This was the birth of the Santos wristwatch which is considered to be the first men’s wristwatch to be created. A flat wristwatch with a square bezel, the legacy this pioneering design can still be seen in modern Cartier watches. In 1907, Edmond Jaeger and Cartier signed a contract under which all Jaeger’s movement designs for a period of 15 years would be exclusive to Cartier.

The next watches to be introduced in the range were the Baignoire and Tortue in 1912 followed by the Tank model in 1917. All three models are still in production today. This is the essence of Cartier, what makes the firm unique in so many ways. It is one of the few brands that still include versions of its most initial models in its current lineup. The pieces are literally timeless, as new models usually carry the DNA of vintage Cartier watches, constantly improved, slightly adjusted and re-released. Earlier this year (14 December 2011 to 12 February 2012), the ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore hosted the exhibition “Cartier Time Art” , the largest collection of historical Cartier timepieces ever displayed in public. Conceived by award-winning designer Tokujin Yoshioka, the exhibition aimed to take visitors on a journey to the heart of Cartier watch-making, and included 158 historical timepieces from objects dating to the origins of the firm to the present day. Bernard Fornas, CEO of Cartier International speaks about the show in this short preview.

This exhibition was special also because it showcased a large selection of alarm clocks by Cartier for the first time. Much has been written and seen regarding Cartier wristwatches but less is known about its alarm clocks. Fine Cartier clocks have been in production since the late 1800’s, longer than the wristwatches. It is important to know that almost every well known watch model by Cartier, from the Tank to the Pasha are all available as alarm clocks, and sometimes even as table clocks. The wristwatch cousins of both the Tank and Pasha alarm clocks were featured in our recently concluded Autumn Auction of Fine Jewels & Watches, 2012.

Cartier expert George Cramer encapsulates the chronological history of Cartier clocks from the early 1900s until now in a post on Revo-Online, the digital version of leading international watch magazine. Cramer is an authority on Cartier watches and operates Troisanneaux.com, non-commercial online library on men’s Cartier watches.

The Art Deco Clock features prominently in Cramer’s selection. He indicates that buying a second hand vintage clock is advisable provided it is the right model. Vintage Cartier clocks from the 1980s used a battery that is no longer available for replacement. Batteries of clocks from the 1990s such as the Art Deco one are more widely available making them a more favorable acquisition. Starting your day with the supple chime of a Cartier alarm clock is one of life’s modest luxuries!

The Story is Live!

November 9, 2012

Sneha Sikand of Saffronart on the launch of a new website for curated collections of beautiful and hard to find objects

New Delhi: The Story, a new website by Saffronart, where you can browse, learn about and acquire desirable objects ranging from fine art, home accessories to jewels and timepieces has just launched. What is interesting is that the collections are not necessarily what you usually find in a Saffronart auction. Understanding the desire for people to acquire items that appease their aesthetic sensibilities, The Story by Saffronart has put together a mix of age-old tradition and innovation in its collections.

S.H. Raza, Maa…
Serigraphy on paper
Image credit: http://www.saffronstory.com

The artwork collections comprise limited edition serigraphs and prints from masters of the modern art world, both Indian and international, as well as revivals of traditional forms such as Bundi miniature paintings, and as Mithila paintings from Bihar.

CALECUT NUOVA TAVOLA, GIACOMO GASTALDI, 1561
Copperplate engraving, Gastaldi’s new map of India
Image credit: http://www.saffronstory.com

Other collections range from beautifully crafted Chinese wedding baskets, to an exceptional set of antiquarian maps dating to the 16th century that chart India through the eyes of European explorers and cartographers. Objects available in ‘The Story’ are listed on the website for a limited period of time.

While every collection on The Story is unique, together they represent the meeting of tradition and innovation, age-old craftsmanship and contemporary design. Each collection has been put together around a narrative; an account of a culture, place, custom, genre or technique. Some of these stories have also been woven around the aesthetic sensibilities, experiences and memories of highly regarded individuals- The Story’s discerning tastemakers – who have agreed to share their knowledge, collecting experience and good taste with you through the collections they curate.

Collections from The Story are now available and can be viewed and purchased on the website saffronstory.com.

Timeless Elegance: The Cartier Tank

November 6, 2012

Amy Lin of Saffronart introduces the classic Cartier Tank wristwatch

Must de Cartier Tank Vermeil Wristwatch
The Story by Saffronart

New York: The Cartier Tank is easily one of the most iconic watches of the 20th century.  Ever since its debut in 1917, it has never stopped evolving and continues to be celebrated today.

Louis Cartier developed the blueprint for the legendry Tank watch during the Great War. Inspired by patriotism and the Renault tanks used on the Western Front, the case consists of a rectangular bezel encasing a square crystal, resonating with image of a WWI ‘tank’. This watch elegantly resolved the problem of combining timepieces with wrist bands by hiding the lugs under the case’s elongated sidepieces. Cartier later presented the design to General John Pershing of the American Expeditionary Force. With its classic design, the Tank instantly became a favourite among celebrities throughout the decades, with patrons such as Yves Saint Laurent, Truman Capote, and even Michelle Obama.

Yves Saint Laurent photographed wearing a Cartier Tank watch, Paris, 1983
Photograph by: Irving Penn
Image Credit: http://www.obsessionphoto.com/news/623,irving-penn.html

There have been many Tank iterations over the last 95 years. The Tank Francaise, for example, has a metal bracelet that mimics the caterpillar tracks on army tanks while the Tank Chinoise has a case that echoes a temple doorway.

The Cartier Tanks featured in our The Story by Saffronart are from both Cartier and Les Must de Cartier, a sub-brand that was established in the mid-seventies.  It’s said the line was inspired by a staff member who said, “Cartier, it’s a must.”  These Tank watches are significant for many reasons. They were the first large scale commercial watches to use vermeil (gold-plated silver) casing for a vintage accent. In addition, they became Cartier’s most affordable items during the eighties and nineties in an effort to combat counterfeits. The many editions of the watches feature various Arabic and Roman numerals with colourful bands, but always retain the classic “tank” design.

Cartier Silver Tank Wristwatch
The Story by Saffronart

Pierre Rainero, Cartier’s style director says it best in Franco Cologni’s book,“ The evolution of design of the Tank is never whimsical; it goes together with the original intentions of the design to create the purest shape possible. The Tank watch, for us, is the purest shape ever created. It has ‘essential design,’ design that looks for the essence of things. We don’t like useless décor but we are not just talking about function. The features, a sense of proportion, the volume, and colours, everything is considered and everything belongs where it should.” In essence, the Tank perfectly fuses simplicity with elegance, combing both mechanical ingenuity and artistic design. Tanks may not be the most elaborate watches available, but their Cartier heritage and timeless design make them a must for watch collectors and lovers.

Pigeon Blood: Burmese Rubies

October 29, 2012

Amy Lin of Saffronart explores the significance of rubies from Burma (Myanmar) 

Lot 85: A RUBY AND DIAMOND THREE-STONE RING
Auction of Fine Jewels & Watches (OCT 30-31, 2012)

New York: Gleaming red with a fiery core, rubies have commanded the attention of kings and nobles throughout the centuries, who believed in the stone’s power to harbor fortune, passion, and vitality. The Burmese (Myanmar) mines have historically been the best source for rubies and produced some of the finest rubies in the world.

In our current Auction of Fine Jewels & Watches, we feature a magnificent ruby and diamond three stone ring. This historical piece dates back to c. 1915, and is set with a fine ruby originating from Burma. The cushion-cut ruby weighs 3.10 carats, and is flanked by an old-cut diamond on each side, and mounted in a gold band.

The ruby is part of the mineral corundum family. Pure corundum is colorless and it is actually traces of aluminum oxide impurities in it that give it brilliant colors. While most corundum are simply sapphires, rubies also contain chromium that gives them a scarlet color. Rubies range from transparent to opaque in color, with brighter gems containing more traces of chromium. Similar to sapphires, rubies score a 9 on Moh’s Hardness Scale, making them second in resilience behind diamonds.

Deep in the mountains of Burma, the Mogok (old) and Mong Hsu (new) mines have produced some of the most brilliant gemstones in the world. Rubies from the Mogok Valley tend to be magenta in color like the one set in this ruby and diamond ring. Mong Hsu rubies on the other hand have bluish hues that often have to be treated with heat. One of the finest examples is the Carmen Lucia Ruby discovered in Mogok around the 1930s, and currently in the collection of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC. Weighing 23.10 carats, the gem glows a deep scarlet, a color nicknamed “pigeon’s blood” by the Burmese people.

Other legendary gems are the Nga Mauk and Kallahpyan rubies. Legend has it that these gems were once part of a 560 carat ruby found in the Mogok mines during the mid 19thcentury. One was presented to King Mindon Min, while the other was secretly sold off in Calcutta. When the King found out that he’d been deceived, he demanded the other half returned and ordered the villagers to be burned alive as punishment. Following the British government’s annexation of Upper Burma in 1885, the fate of these two gems remains unknown.

The Carmen Lucia Ruby
Image Credit: http://www.mnh.si.edu/exhibits/images/ruby/
main_ruby2.jpg

In recent decades, the Burmese mines have faced several trials and tribulations. The miners work in risky and brutish conditions while most of the profits from the work go directly to the military junta that runs the nation. Human rights and political activists have called for a ban on Burmese rubies. In response, the International Colored Gemstone Association in 2007 urged its members to stop buying rubies from its government sources and the US enforced a ban on importing Burmese rubies. While conditions in Burma are slowly improving, Burmese rubies still remain a deeply contested issue.

Art Deco and India’s Royal Families

October 26, 2012

Nishad Avari of Saffronart on the status of Art Deco in India’s royal collections 

Mumbai: In the nineteenth century, first under the East India Company and then as part of the British Empire when Queen Victoria assumed the title of Empress of India, not only did the Indian princes find themselves “…increasingly having to accommodate and entertain Europeans on equal terms,” but they also started developing a taste for the Western luxury goods and standards of living they now had a chance to experience.

By the 1920s, “Within one generation of western education the lifestyle of India’s princes were transformed and they began to wear western clothes, engage in western games and eat western food…those princes who could afford it abandoned their traditional residences for new, substantial palaces principally designed by western architects…[and] were built to accommodate western-style living, with its specific rooms for dining, sleeping, socializing, sport and recreation. The western-style elevated furniture and domestic articles needed to outfit these new vast palaces were readily supplied by British firms such as Maple & Co. and Waring & Gillow, both of which had showrooms in India… For Western firms making luxury goods, be it F & C Osler, Baccarat, Cartier, Boucheron, Louis Vuitton, Holland & Holland or Rolls Royce, Indian princes proved to be substantial clients and at certain times, such as during the Great Depression, were the mainstay of business” (Amin Jaffar, Made for Maharajas, Lustre Press/Roli Books, Mumbai, 2007, p. 15. 18).

Many of the items created by these firms for Indian royals between the 1920s and 1940s were crafted in the Art Deco style that had taken Europe by storm at the time. As a result, members of India’s royal families came to be regarded as some of the greatest patrons of Art Deco architecture, interiors, jewelry and accessories were.

From entire palaces constructed in the style, most notably in Morvi, Jodhpur and Indore, to highly customised jewelry, furniture and accessories purchased from European firms like Cartier, Boucheron and Louis Vuitton, India’s maharajas were captivated by the glamour, elegance and modernity that Art Deco represented as these were all principles central to their lifestyles.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

To read more about the history of the Art Deco movement, click here.

Learn more about our Art Deco Auction auction.