1 Video View·Nov 13, 2025
Step back in time with Jewellery Specialist, Niamh Thomas, as she unveils the captivating story behind an exceptional early 20th-century timepiece: a Cartier Montre Couteau Keyless Minute Repeater Pocket Watch, c.1910.
Crafted in 18ct yellow gold and presented in Cartier’s distinctive “knife-edge” case, this elegant example of horological artistry is both mechanically sophisticated and rich with history. Featuring a gilt dial, blued Breguet hands, and a beautifully clear tonal minute repeating mechanism, it embodies the precision and refinement synonymous with Cartier’s early work.
Beyond its exquisite craftsmanship lies a remarkable provenance - this very watch is believed to have belonged to the vendor’s great great grandfather, a financial advisor to Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. As the family fled St Petersburg in 1920 during the Russian Revolution, this treasured piece journeyed with them to France, where it has been carefully preserved for over a century.
Join Niamh as she explores the design, engineering, and extraordinary history that make this Cartier pocket watch a truly rare discovery.
What we have here is a really special piece from the Fine Jewelry Watch Retail
on November 20th. This is a Cartier Montre Coutu minute repeating pocket watch.
The Coutu refers to the knife edge. It's this ultra thin pocket watch. It's got a knife edge
size you would say or edge to it. These were usually designed to be under four millimeters
As it is a minute repeating pocket watch it's quite an advanced technical timepiece. It is
designed with a series of chimes, clear tones that ring out on the hour, the quarter hour
and also down to the very minute. And this was designed so that you could tell the time
without it. Once you pull this little side up here you'll hear those chimes ring out.
The case is made up of 18 karat gold. It's stamped both on the inside of the case and also
on the case back with the eagle's head which is the French mark for 18 karat gold. We have Arabic
new numerals all the way around and we also have a second subsidiary dial which also is an added
complication to this early 20th century piece. According to the vendor this has been passed down
to her family and once belonged to her great-great-grandfather. He was supposedly
the financial advisor to Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. When the Russian revolution started in
1917 the family fled in 1920 to France and they brought along this watch with them.
