Van Cleef & Arpels. A rock crystal miniature illusion travel timepiece with stand, Scintillante, circa 1935.
Movement: manual winding.
Dial: two-tone silvered dial, Arabic and baton indexes.
Case: faceted rock crystal, diamond-set crown, illusion mirror conceals the movement when viewed through the side sections.
Signed: dial.
Dimensions: length 29mm, width 20.5mm.
Together with fitted mirrored stand. £4,000-£5,000

The Princess Aga Khan commissioned a Scintillante timepiece similar to this example from Van Cleef & Arpels in 1934 and is now in the Van Cleef & Arpels Collection.


Literature:
Serres, Cologni, Sabrier & Kerman: Van Cleef & Arpels, The Poetry of Time, pub. Éditions Cercle D’Art, 2009, no. 206-207.