Turning back the clock

"When it (the exhibition) comes here, it should be inspiring to Chinese people," Vigneron says. "Sometimes you look at things more when someone else looks at it. It's important for the young people not to say (this is) something for the grandparents. They should instead be saying to themselves, let's be inspired by them."

Since it was established in 1983, the Cartier Collection has toured more than 30 major museums around the world, and now has over 1,600 artifacts, according to curator Pascale Lepeu.

Other than Beijing, it has traveled to several other Chinese cities including Shanghai, Chengdu in Sichuan province, Shenyang in Liaoning province, and Taipei. Nevertheless, Beijing remains the only city in the world where the Cartier Collection has made a comeback. In 2009, Cartier Treasures-Jeweller to Kings, King of Jewellers was staged at the Meridian Gate Galleries.

"If you want to go beyond the boundaries of time, what can connect us with the past are objects of art or crafts," Vigneron says. "Especially if you preserve them and continue to keep them in good shape through restoration ... they can provide us with a continuous thread."

He adds: "It is not about being nostalgic, but about preparing for the future."