The Facts
Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo will offer Cartier Portico Mystery Clock No. 4 at The Geneva Watch Auction: XXIV on November 7–8, 2026, at Hotel President in Geneva, with an estimate of CHF 1,800,000–3,200,000. Made in 1924, the clock is one of only six Portico Mystery Clocks Cartier created between 1923 and 1925, and the only example with a hexagonal rock-crystal dial. Lot 220 returns to auction for the first time since 1996 and was formerly owned by Alain Cartier, grandson of Louis Cartier; it is reputed to have once belonged to the Maharajah of Nawanagar. Phillips sold the closely related Portico No. 3 in May 2025 for CHF 3,932,000.
The Signal
No. 4 is one of the two largest and most elaborate Portico clocks, and its hexagonal dial distinguishes it from the other five, which have 12-sided dials. The estimate sits below the CHF 3,932,000 achieved by No. 3, a result that demonstrated strong demand for these architectural Cartier rarities. With a 30-year absence from auction and provenance linking it to the Cartier family and Indian princely collecting, the offering is likely to test whether the series' top tier can push beyond its previous benchmark.
- People: Alain Cartier, Louis Cartier, Maharajah of Nawanagar, Aurel Bacs
- Auction Houses: Phillips
- Locations: Geneva
- Prices: CHF 1,800,000–3,200,000, CHF 3,932,000
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