A different kind of exhibition is preparing to welcome visitors to Florida during this year’s Art Basel Miami Beach: luxury jeweler Cartier is presenting a display dedicated the brand’s craftsmanship in watchmaking. Prior to making its North American debut, “Time Unlimited” previously touched down in locations including Seoul and Hong Kong.
The exhibition is organized around four themes. "Watchmaker of Shapes" highlights Cartier’s unique and at times abstract designs; "Pioneering Spirit" is a trip through the brand’s history; "Culture of Design" offers a closer look at a few signature pieces; and "Technique Serves Beauty" is a video-paneled tunnel featuring insights into the house’s studios.
"Cartier has long balanced craftsmanship with innovation, embracing the maison's savoir-faire to create elegant and enduring timepieces,” said the President and CEO of Cartier North America, Walter Bolognino, in a statement. “This installation captures Cartier's endless quest for designing creations that link well-balanced beauty, rigorous technical expertise, and the maison’s rich heritage.”
The watches on view in Miami’s Design District will be accompanied by a series of films including “Time Project,” made in collaboration with the brand’s global ambassador, Jake Gyllenhaal. In each black-and-white short, the actor appears pensive as he engages in various activities—playing chess, sewing, falling into bed—and viewers discover he is making “time to dream,” “time to focus,” and “time to stay silent.”
A number of the house’s enduring pieces—including the Santos de Cartier, Baignoire, Panthere de Cartier, Ballon Bleu, and Tank—appear in conversation with rare and limited-edition iterations in settings produced by Los Angeles design studio Perron-Roettinger.
"Everything is based on the forms of the watches themselves and the materiality of the watches,” the studio's co-founder Willo Perron said in a statement. “I was surprised by the sheer amount of forms and creative applications, the craftsmanship I saw firsthand in my visit was all incredible ... What an iconic thing to be associated with, both so unexpected and powerful.”
“Time Unlimited” will be on view from December 7 - 22, 2023 at 45 NE 41st Street in Miami.
