French/Swiss rock crystal open faced keyless watch Circa 1916

Rock crystal, platinum, gold and diamond set dress watch
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A French/Swiss platinum, 18 carat gold, enamel, rock crystal and diamond set open faced keyless pocket watch made by Cartier in Paris, circa 1916. The lever movement made by European Watch and Clock Co. Inc. with 19 jewels and adjusted in eight positions. Silvered engine turned dial with an outer minute track, Arabic five minute numerals and blued Breguet hands. Rock crystal case with a triangular platinum bow, diamond set platinum band, gold decorated, white enamel bezels featuring radial gold Roman hour numerals with alternating flowerhead half hour markers on the front and a snap on back. Dial signed Cartier, case numbered, movement signed European Watch and Clock Co. Inc. Comes with the original Cartier presentation box.
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Diameter: 48.5 mm
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Signed: European Watch and Clock Co. Inc. Swiss
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This pocket watch represents a valuable piece of Cartier’s history.
Cartier started designing their own watches as early as 1898, ever since the arrival of Louis Cartier. Focusing on the essence of elegance, the present piece would be an expression of Cartier’s unlimited creativity, employing the use of various materials. Rock crystal as the case, enamel and gold as the bezel, platinum as the bow and even diamond setting on the band. Using crystal as the case material reveals the movement of the watch, developed by European Watch & Clock Co. Inc.
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The European Watch and Clock Co. Inc. was established in the 1920s as a joint venture between Cartier and Edmund Jaeger of Jaeger-LeCoultre in Le Sentier, Switzerland.