Cartier mystery
clock from 1914
CURATED BY ARCHITECT NORMAN FOSTER AND CO-CURATED
BY DESIGN MUSEUM DIRECTOR DEYAN SUDJIC, the expansive
Cartier in Motion exhibit explores the creativity of Cartier
watchmaking from a design perspective.
The 170 exhibits on display are primarily pieces from
the Cartier Collection, but also include loans from the
Collection of the Monaco Princely Palace Collection, the
Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace at Le Bourget airport and the
Rockefeller Center. Many of the exhibits will be accompanied
by descriptions and notes from previously unseen extracts
from a scrapbook found in the Cartier Archives.
Cartier Tonneau wristwatch
from 1915
THE EXHIBITION EXPLORES SIX MAIN THEMES:
(1) The evolution of Paris and its influence on Cartier
shapes; (2) Louis Cartier’s connections with Santos-
Dumont and other pioneers of the age; (3) the birth of the
modern wristwatch; (4) the everyday and sophisticated
accessories designed to cater to a glamorous inter-war
lifestyle; (5) the evolution of Cartier watch designs; (6)
Cartier craftsmanship, with a focus on mystery clocks and
skeleton movements.
Cartier explains that the idea for the exhibit came
about after the Design Museum recently acquired a Cartier
Santos wristwatch and a Cartier Tank wristwatch for its
permanent exhibition. The concept of the exhibition was
fine-tuned over the course of meetings in Paris, Geneva, the
Manufacture in La-Chaux-de-Fonds, London and Milan. For
more information see:
http://designmuseum.org/exhibitions/cartier-in-motion
We’ve pictured a few highlights from the Cartier in Motion
exhibit on the following pages.
SUMMER 2017 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | 145