Cartier has a long had an interesting relationship with time. As a jeweller first and foremost, its approach to the art and science of timekeeping is guided by design in the pursuit of originality, emotion and beauty. Its most iconic timepieces are, nearly without fail, layered with stories and lore, at times authentic and apocryphal.
The exceptionally famous Crash de Cartier for example—created in 1967 in the house’s London branch under the watch of Jean-Jacques Cartier—has a murky and almost mythic origin. Some say it was inspired by an oval Baignoire Allongée of a client’s that had melted in a car crash. Others say that it takes clear inspiration from Salvador Dalí’s melting clocks. And though the London branch only created about a dozen of Crash watches at the time (it was deemed a little too avant-garde), its legend has since made it one of the most desirable collectibles for Cartier connoisseurs.
A bit of mythology is always healthy, but what’s truly delicious is getting to see these artefacts of history up close. The opportunity has now come, as Cartier is launching an exhibition of rare archival timepieces in Singapore. Dubbed “A Journey Through Time”, it’s designed as an immersive exploration of the house’s illustrious history of creating watches. It’s conceptually based around a series of 12 short films directed by Sølve Sundsbø and starring Jake Gyllenhaal that recasts hours of the day as evocative, emotional ideas. Rather than merely mundane hours, they’re imagined as times to dream, to focus, to take risks, to play, to doubt and to wait.
The exhibition itself is being staged at Le Salon Cartier in Ion Orchard, accessed through a secret entrance on the third floor. There are 23 unique timepieces from the Cartier Collection, the brand’s in-house archives that have been built up since the 1970s, that have been taken out of safekeeping from its locations in Paris, London and New York. Expect to see historical pieces—the earliest is a gold Tonneau from 1911 outfitted with a LeCoultre movement, and the most recent a zig-zag shaped Tank Folle from 2012 that’s one of only 200 pieces in the world. Two pieces are exceptionally rare: a Tank Louis Cartier from 1925; and a Cheich from 1983, one of maybe only five publicly known and recorded models of its type.
The curation also raises some lovely idiosyncrasies that layer on the complexity and richness of Cartier’s heritage. The diagonally shifted Tank Asymétrique that we know today is present in the form of a vintage 1996 model in platinum, as is a predecessor from 1963 from the London archives which is actually named the Oblique—apparently, the difference in naming was meant to appeal to English clients. A 1973 model from London with an oval gold case, exceedingly alike a Baignoire, also goes by a different name: the Bulbous wristwatch.
There is, on the whole, a wonderful look at the style and creativity of the house when it comes to shaped watches. The house has also come up with activities that link all this history to the present, with smartphone photography masterclasses hosted within the exhibition space. No better time, if you will, to take a picture.
A Journey Through Time runs from 27 January to 2 February at Le Salon Cartier at Ion Orchard. Time slots are limited, and require registration.
