Inside a Cartier watch case…

Had an unexpectedly fascinating experience recently. Visiting a watchmaker to discuss antique Cartier watches, we ended up taking apart a few of them. Suddenly these inanimate objects sprung to life. Like precious jewels, old watches have their own stories and while one can do all kinds of research from the outside (did it perhaps keep time for a French Count in the Belle Epoque or a British rock star in the swinging sixties?), as a watch specialist once said to me, you don’t really know where you are with a vintage watch until you open up the case.

So what’s inside? To start with, clues to those who brought it to life, or back to life: watchmakers sometimes engraved their initials and with a bit of sleuth work it can be possible to figure out if it was the strict head watchmaker in London or a nervous young apprentice in Paris who slaved over it many decades ago (love this part – sends me down endless rabbit holes into past lives).

Other marks reveal different secrets: numbers and symbols are sometimes as expected, other times they suggest a fake or a ‘Frankenstein’ watch (created from several different watches). In this case (pun not intended), we literally jumped in the air to discover a faded maker’s mark (an E J and hourglass), suggesting the watch was made in Edmond Jaeger's workshop at a time when the great man himself -pictured here-was still alive and running the show (I’m fascinated by Jaeger and his relationship with #louiscartier – two creative geniuses -more on their alliance in #thecartiersbook ).

Then there’s the movement (2nd image), the beating heart still ticking even when removed from its case. Often with old watches, the #watchmovement has been repaired or replaced over the years but opening this early #cartiertonneau revealed the original movement within. I found it rather beautiful, and it got me thinking too…wondering about the young man it faithfully kept time for as minutes turned into hours and months and years…a constant companion through highs and lows and changing eras.

So much more to share. Have been surprised many times over the past few months while hunting for the real human stories behind old watches. More to come!