Cover Photo: Dover Street Market Singapore

Showcased at Dover Street Market Singapore, these rare watches and jewellery reveal Cartier’s royal connections and rich history

Given the renewed interest in vintage Cartier designs in recent years, Harry Fane’s new exhibition in Singapore couldn’t have come at a better time.

The renowned British collector has spent over four decades obsessively building a collection of some of the rarest Cartier pieces in the world, encompassing jewellery, watches, clocks and objets d’art. And while interested buyers in Singapore would previously have had to make pilgrimage to Obsidian, Fane’s private gallery in London, this month, they need only make a trip to Dover Street Market Singapore.

The retailer is showcasing over 60 exquisite pieces from Fane’s collection, making it one of the most comprehensive vintage Cartier exhibition ever.

“I can’t emphasise how rare it is to see them all in one place,” said Emily Watson, Fane’s right-hand woman at Obsidian. “For [Harry] to put this together for Dover Street Market is a massive feat. You’ll never see this many vintage Cartier pieces together ever again in your lifetime.”

Cartier collectors are truly in for a treat, according to Watson.

“When Harry’s buying things, he’s always looking for exquisite and unusual pieces,” she said. Fittingly, the exhibition includes various iterations of the iconic Tank watches from the 1920s and the 1970s; the maison’s extravagant jewels, clocks and curio from the Art Deco period; and even a couple of designs with a royal connection. Below, Watson takes us through some of the highlights of the exhibition.

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Tank Reverso Watch

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Tatler Asia

In the 1970s, Cartier reinterpreted its iconic Tank watch with the Reverso, a swivelling case mechanism invented by Jaeger-LeCoultre. The fascinating mechanism, Watson noted, was born out of practicality, allowing sportsmen to turn the case over and protect its crystal from scratches during polo games or cross-country riding. This innovative iteration of the Tank also notably found a fan in French actor Alain Delon.

Read more: Art Meets Horology in Jaeger-LeCoultre’s New Collaboration with Lettering Artist Alex Trochut

1928 Pearl and Diamond Watch

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One of the oldest pieces shown at the exhibition, this exquisite women’s watch is as much a piece of jewellery as it is a timepiece. Its case is lavishly embellished with diamonds, while its strap, remarkably still in its original form, is lined with natural seed pearls—an extremely rare detail to find on any vintage Cartier watch today.

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Duchess of Windsor Pin

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While a fairly simple piece at first glance, this yellow gold brooch holds significant ties to British royal history—specifically, the controversial marriage of the former Duke of Windsor.

“Edward VIII gave up the throne to marry his lover Wallis Simpson, a divorcée,” detailed Watson. “At the time, it wasn’t allowed for royalty to marry someone who was divorced.”

The couple’s wedding turned out to be an intimate affair. “At their wedding, they gave all sixteen of their guests a brooch each,” said Watson. The memento, crafted in 1937, is engraved with the Duke and Duchess of Windsor’s crest and monogram. “If anything, it’s part of a romantic love story,” added Watson.

Diamond Flower Earrings

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Tatler Asia

Speaking of connections to the British monarchy, Watson believes that these diamond earrings were once owned by the late Queen Elizabeth herself.

“There’s a photograph of her taken in 1957 wearing what appears to be these earrings,” shared Watson. According to British Royal Jewels, the former monarch received a pair of floral earrings as a gift from the Diplomatic Corps on her 21st birthday. It does bear striking resemblance to Cartier’s own blooms from 1930, which are crafted from platinum and lavishly embellished with diamonds.

With or without that history behind them, Watson believes the earrings are a collector’s dream. “These are classic Cartier, classic Art Deco,” she said.

Read more: Who Will Inherit Queen Elizabeth II’s Crown Jewels and Tiaras Worth Millions?

Coral and Diamond ‘Ladybirds’ Brooches

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Tatler Asia

These coral critters are some of the more whimsical pieces from Cartier’s archives, likely dating back to the 1940s. “Cartier loved playing with the idea of creating designs inspired by flowers and insects,” shared Watson. “They made these really sweet lady birds as brooches. I have seen probably only two Ladybirds designs in the whole five years that I’ve worked for Harry Fane, so to see nine different pieces in one place is incredibly rare.”

Grain de Café Earclips and Diamond Leaves Necklace

Tatler Asia
Tatler Asia

In the 1950s, Cartier found an unlikely source of design inspiration from the natural world: the humble coffee bean.

The French jewellery house created a series known as the “Grain de Café” that featured realistic coffee beans crafted from solid gold. The former Princess of Monaco, Grace Kelly, was especially a fan of the collection, as Watson would eventually discover.

“When I was in France before, I found this postcard with a picture of Grace Kelly on it and had it framed,” recounted Watson. “Two years after I started working with Harry, he received a coffee bean necklace and earrings. I looked to that picture of Grace Kelly, and lo and behold, she was wearing the exact same thing.”

The earrings, displayed at the exhibition, are delicately carved to mimic the lines of the coffee bean and topped off with diamonds. But it’s the Diamond Leaves necklace, adorned with lifelike leaves, that Watson is particularly excited about, on account of their rarity. “I’ve never seen a necklace with the coffee plant leaf motif,” she noted.

As to why Cartier dedicated a whole collection to coffee, Watson guesses it had to do with Jeanne Toussaint, Louis Cartier’s muse and the former creative director of his jewellery house.

“It was potentially a nod to the café society,” she explained, referring to the fashionable scene of intellectuals and cultural trailblazers—including Toussaint—that emerged in Paris in the 1920s.

Harry Fane's vintage Cartier collection is on display and available for purchase at Dover Street Market Singapore from November 3 to 17. Private appointments are available upon request.

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