Fine French platinum knife edged pocket watch Circa 1925

Platinum open faced keyless lever 
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A very fine French platinum open faced knife edged keyless dress watch made by Cartier in Paris, circa 1925. Polished platinum case, the case back with circular black champleve enamel monogram DBA. Matte silver engine turned dial with Roman hour numerals, outer minute track with Arabic five minute numerals and blued steel decorative hands. A rhodium plated movement, 19 jewels, straight line lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance adjusted to eight positions, blued steel flat balance spring and an index regulator. The movement by European Watch & Clock Co. Inc. Dial and movement signed by Cartier. The case is numbered.
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Diameter: 46 mm
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Signed: Cartier,  Paris
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Couteau is the term used by Cartier in their manufacturing records to describe the type of ultra thin watches with knife edged cases, open faced or hunting cased models. These watches, with thicknesses of less than 4 mm for the open faced and less than 5 mm for the hunting cased version, are among the thinnest mechanical watches ever produced.
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For these thin watches from the first half of the 20th century, Cartier used movements from Edmund Jaeger (Jaeger-LeCoultre), who had just invented a movement only 2 mm thick. In the 1920s, Cartier and Jaeger formed a joint venture, the European Watch & Clock Co., whose signature can be found on many Cartier movements. Movements were further sourced from Vacheron & Constantin, who, from 1940, utilized a movement which was only 1.31 mm thick.