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This week, Cartier is set to open its largest exhibition ever in Australia. Curated in partnership with the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), the CARTIER: Melbourne Winter Masterpieces 2026 exhibit will open its doors to the public on June 12, showcasing more than 300 objects, including tiaras, necklaces, loose gemstones, archival design drawings, and crucially, a standout selection of timepieces.
Photo courtesy of Marian Gérard, Collection Cartier.
This particularly rare timepiece is one of the very first Tank wristwatches, a model produced by Cartier from 1919 onward. Round LeCoultre caliber 119 movement, Côtes de Genève decoration, rhodium-plated, 8 adjustments, 19 jewels, Swiss lever escapement, bimetallic balance, Breguet balance spring. Case measures 29.6mm x 23mm.
In total, more than 20 tiaras are set to be displayed, among them the 1902 Scroll tiara worn by Clementine Churchill at Queen Elizabeth II's coronation (and, decades later, by Rihanna). Elizabeth Taylor's Burmese ruby necklace will also feature (a piece she once likened to red fire lit up like the sun), as does the Duchess of Windsor's famous Flamingo brooch.
Tiara / Necklace - 18K white gold, one 140.21-carat cushion-shaped cabochon-cut emerald from Colombia, seven E/F IF/VVS1/VVS2 brilliant-cut diamonds totalling 4.58 carats, and brilliant-cut diamonds.
'Crocodile' necklace, Cartier Paris, special order, 1975. Gold, 1,023 brilliant-cut fancy intense yellow diamonds, weighing a total of 60.02 carats, two navette-shaped emerald cabochons (eyes), 1,060 emeralds, weighing a total of 66.86 carats, two ruby cabochons (eyes).
Photo courtesy of Nils Herrmann, Collection Cartier.
There's an Australian angle, too, because alongside the historic pieces sits a run of contemporary works featuring Australian opals in a neat nod to the host country, and a reminder that Cartier's love affair with rare materials is as strong as it has ever been. Specifically, make sure you check out the white gold bracelet that houses an enormous oval-shaped 189.34-carat Australian opal.
Bracelet - white gold, one 189.34-carat oval-shaped opal from Australia, purplish triangular-shaped sapphires, cabochon-cut emeralds, pear-shaped rose-cut diamonds, and brilliant-cut diamonds.
Unsurprisingly, we’re a little more excited about the horological element of the exhibit, which will include a remarkable collection of wristwatches that chart the French-founded maker’s history of timekeeping. The exhibition includes an entire section on timepiece design, highlighting the kind of technical innovation and design expertise Cartier has demonstrated for more than a century.
Photo courtesy of Vincent Wulveryck, Collection Cartier.
Photo courtesy of Vincent Wulveryck, Collection Cartier.
As far as the wristwatches set to be displayed, the collection includes an original Cartier Crash from the London boutique, a Cartier Santos in yellow gold from 1915, a Cartier Tank in platinum from 1920 (just a year after the shape made its debut), a Cartier Tank Tortue Monopusher Chronograph in yellow gold, and perhaps most spectacularly, a Cartier Secret Watch in white gold with a 17.02-carat cushion-shaped carved emerald from Zambia covering the dial.
The real showstoppers, though, are the mystery clocks. If you've never seen one in person, they are a fascinating sight to behold as the hands appear to float in mid-air with no visible connection to the case of the click, a trick made possible thanks to hidden mechanics and transparent rock-crystal discs that Cartier perfected in the early twentieth century. They're some of the most ingenious objects the Maison has ever made, and proof that its watchmaking credentials run far deeper than many have historically given them credit for.
Large 'Portique' mystery clock, Cartier Paris, 1923. Gold, platinum, rock crystal, rose-cut diamonds, coral cabochons, onyx, and black enamel. Square eight-day double-barrel movement, gold-plated, 13 jewels, Swiss lever escapement, bimetallic balance, Breguet balance spring. Transmission axle in rock-crystal crossbar masked by coral cabochon. Billiken figure removable to provide access to the movement. Hand-setting and winding mechanism. This clock was the first in a series of six in the form of a Shinto shrine gate ('portique'), all different and all made by Cartier between 1923 and 1925. Measures 35cm x 23cm x 13cm.
Cartier, 2023. White gold, rock crystal (centre and screen), obsidian (base and screen), chrysoprase, brilliant-cut diamonds, emeralds, and onyx (panthère spots). Rectangular 8-day Cartier 6008 MC movement, rhodium-plated, 26 jewels, Swiss lever escapement, monometallic balance, flat balance spring. Measures 15.9cm x 12 cm x 6.5cm.
Photo courtesy of Nils Herrmann, Collection Cartier.
'Model A' mystery clock, Cartier Paris, 1914. Platinum, gold, rock crystal, white agate (base), four sapphire cabochons, rose-cut diamonds, white enamel. Rectangular, eight-day movement, gilded, 13 jewels, Swiss lever escapement, bimetallic balance, Breguet balance spring. Hand-setting and winding mechanism underneath the base. This 'Model A' mystery clock was one of the first ever to be made by Cartier. Produced from 1912 onwards, the 'Model A' was the Maison's very first mystery clock model. Height 13 m. Sold to Count Greffulhe, the husband of the famous Countess Greffulhe, “the most beautiful woman in Europe,” according to Marcel Proust, who used her, amongst others, as a model for his character, the Duchess de Guermantes.
It all adds up to a century-spanning origin story, from founder Louis-François Cartier in Paris to the global empire built by his grandsons Louis, Pierre and Jacques, the trio who earned the house its "jeweller of kings and king of jewellers" reputation.
CARTIER: Melbourne Winter Masterpieces 2026 will take place from June 12 until October 4, with tickets available through the NGV website. Find out more here.
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