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
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.
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