Taking a short break from the traditional gem-set jewels, we took a look through Sotheby’s Geneva Fine Watches auction catalogue, held May 7th – 9th, at the Mandarin Oriental. We found four unusual timepieces—and one remarkable Cartier desk clock—that caught our attention, and we think they will catch yours too.
Quickly drawing our attention, a 1925 Cartier nephrite, coral, and gold desk clock, disguised as a paperweight, that sold for CHF 53,760 — more than five times its estimate. Part Art Deco desk accessory, part calendar, part clock, it looks like something that might have sat on the desk of a banker, diplomat, or gem merchant nearly a century ago.
We also spotted a striking Vacheron Constantin bracelet watch from around 1950, featuring a lapis mosaic dial, and this crazy stylized baguette surround, all in white gold – the appearance of high jewelry that just so happens to tell time.
For the mineral lovers amongst us, Jaquet Droz created something especially cool: a modern Petite Heure Minute with a natural strong dark red ornamental ruby dial. Rather than hiding the stone beneath numerals and branding, the watch lets the ruby’s own color and hexagonal growth pattern become the centerpiece.
And then there was Breguet.
The brand’s famous Reine de Naples collection has always looked like pop art, with its elongated oval shape, curved profile, and flowing proportions, as though someone asked Salvador Dalí to redesign a pocket watch for the wrist.
Sometimes the most interesting objects at a jewelry auctions are watches.
Let’s take a closer look!
Vacheron Constantin
The circa-1950 Vacheron Constantin bracelet watch showcases an unusual use of baguette-cut diamonds. Rather than simply framing the dial in a conventional border, the horizontally set baguettes create a geometric diamond-shaped frame surrounding an inner framed diamond-shape pavé-set diamond center. The contrast between the angular baguette diamond frame, the round brilliant diamond dial, and the surrounding inlaid lapis creates a layered design that feels both architectural and distinctly mid-century. It is as much a piece of jewelry as it is a watch.
Estimate: 12,000 – 24,000 CHF
Lot Sold: 33,280 CHF (approximately $41,300)
Montre Royale de Genève
The Montre Royale de Genève takes a different approach. Here, the dial itself becomes the piece of jewelry. Pavé-set round brilliant cut diamonds cover the face, while small round blue sapphires mark the hours. The result is definitely elegant. Your eye naturally follows the sapphires around the dial, yet the overall impression remains one of diamond bling. Paired with its original white-gold mesh bracelet, this circa-1970 watch feels every bit as much a bracelet as it does a timepiece.
Estimate: 4,000 – 8,000 CHF
Lot Sold: 5,376 CHF (approximately $6,670)
Cartier
A nephrite, coral and gold paperweight desk clock with calendar | Circa 1925
Classic Cartier. We initially expected this to be an alarm clock… but no. What we have here is a traditional desk clock combining nephrite, coral, and gold in a distinctly Art Deco design. The auction catalogue describes it as a paperweight. Yes, it certainly can be used as a paperweight, but there’s no hidden clock here. The clock is right out in the open.
Featuring both a clock and calendar, this piece represents the kind of executive desk accessory that helped make Cartier famous during the early twentieth century. Collectors clearly agreed, pushing the final price to more than five times the high estimate! We like it too.
Estimate: 10,000 – 20,000 CHF
Lot Sold: 53,760 CHF (approximately $66,660)
Jaquet Droz
For gemstone enthusiasts, the Jaquet Droz Petite Heure Minute may be the most fascinating of the group. Instead of using ruby as an accent, the watch uses a flat polished slice of ornamental ruby as the entire dial. The deep purplish-red gem displays distinctive hexagonal growth patterns associated with corundum. The off-center time display allows the natural growth structure of the ruby to remain largely uninterrupted, transforming the gemstone itself into the primary design feature.
Jaquet Droz has become well known for incorporating ornamental hardstones into its watch designs.
Estimate: 3,000 – 6,000 CHF
Lot Sold: 6,144 CHF (approximately $7,620)
Breguet
Reine de Naples, Reference 8918 | A white gold and diamond-set bracelet watch with mother-of-pearl dial | Circa 2014
The Breguet Reine de Naples offers a different kind of visual appeal. Its elongated oval case, grooved mother-of-pearl dial, and stretched numerals creates a work of art that brings to mind the melting clocks in the artwork of Salvador Dalí. (… a little bit.)
But the Diamonds
Looking closer, however, it is the gem-setting that really caught our attention. Brilliant-cut bezel-set diamonds surround the face, with a pear-shaped diamond mounted at the 6 o’clock position. The watch crown is set with a prominent diamond, adding another artistic design to the piece.
Estimate: 9,000 – 14,000 CHF
Lot Sold: 20,480 CHF (approximately $25,400)
