Cartier Portique n° 4: an exceptional mystery clock goes under the hammer at Phillips
On 8 November 2026 in Geneva, Phillips offers the Cartier Portique n° 4, a 1924 Art Deco mystery clock estimated at 1.8 to 3.6 million Swiss francs.
This Sunday, 8 November 2026, in Geneva, Phillips will offer an extraordinary piece of Cartier history: the Portique n° 4 mystery clock, created in 1924. This Art Deco masterpiece is estimated at between 1.8 and 3.6 million Swiss francs.
Only six examples exist, all made between 1923 and 1925, and among them the Portique n° 4 holds a special place. It is the only one with a hexagonal dial, while the other five have twelve sides. Standing 38.5 centimetres tall and weighing 10.6 kilograms, this spectacular creation takes the form of an Asian temple gate. Rock crystal, yellow gold, platinum, jade, onyx, mother-of-pearl, pearls and diamonds make up a refined architecture, at the centre of which the hands, shaped like a dragon, seem literally to float in thin air.
Therein lies the whole mystery of these clocks, conceived by Cartier with the watchmaker Maurice Coüet. The hands are in fact fixed to transparent discs driven by a mechanism concealed in the upper part of the structure. It is a mechanical illusion whose art Cartier has mastered since 1912.
This Portique n° 4 also has a remarkable history of its own. Formerly owned by Alain Cartier, grandson of Louis Cartier, it is said to have previously belonged to the Maharajah of Nawanagar, in India. This prestigious provenance, handed down by tradition, adds further to the fascination surrounding the piece.
Absent from the auction market since 1996, it returns thirty years later. For the record, its sister, the Portique n° 3, sold for 3,932,000 Swiss francs at Phillips in May 2025. Offered as lot no. 220 of the Geneva Watch Auction: XXIV, held by Phillips in association with Bacs & Russo on 7 and 8 November 2026 at the Hôtel Président in Geneva, this clock will be one of the highlights of the Sunday session.
It remains to be seen what price collectors will be prepared to pay for this hundred-year-old horological marvel. A result worth watching closely!
Frequently asked questions
Created in 1924, it is one of six Portique clocks made by Cartier between 1923 and 1925. It is the only one with a hexagonal dial, the other five having twelve sides.
It is estimated at between 1.8 and 3.6 million Swiss francs.
It is offered as lot no. 220 of the Geneva Watch Auction: XXIV, held by Phillips in association with Bacs & Russo on 7 and 8 November 2026 at the Hôtel Président in Geneva. It goes under the hammer on Sunday 8 November.
The hands are fixed to transparent discs driven by a mechanism concealed in the upper part of the structure, which makes them appear to float in thin air.
The Portique n° 3 sold for 3,932,000 Swiss francs at Phillips in May 2025.
