A 1927 lacquer bridge case shows Chinese inspiration in Cartier's design. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Speaking of "beyond boundaries", the theme of the exhibition, Cartier International CEO Cyrille Vigneron explains in an interview with China Daily that "art is a universal language".

"If it touches you, it touches you," he says. "You don't have to put any words behind it... This exhibition is a journey through time, space and culture."

Echoing this idea, the exhibition's curators widened the scope of their search for artifacts to a broad range of countries and collections.

Other than artifacts from the Palace Museum and the Cartier Collection, many of the objects came from other public institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the National Gallery of Australia, the Qatar Museums and the Musee International d'Horlogerie (International Museum of Horology) in La Chaux-de-Fonds, as well as some other private and royal collections.