A super rare Cartier Crash watch made in its famed London studio has set a new auction record for the most valuable Cartier wristwatch ever sold. Check it out below.
Read More: Discover all the newest Cartier wristwatches launching this year
Of all the Cartier timpieces conceived by the maker’s famed London studio, the Cartier Crash watch is probably the most iconic.
In the 1960s, this workshop functioned independently to the brand’s Paris branch and thrived under the creative direction of Jean-Jacques Cartier (great-grandson of Cartier’s founder, Louis-François) and became renowned for its experimental creativity. It produced bold, boundary-pushing designs that challenged the watchmaking culture of the time, including the emblematic Crash in 1967, conceived by Jean-Jacques Cartier and head designer Rupert Emmerson, plus new versions of the oval-shaped Baignoire (so beloved by film stars of the day like Romy Schneider and Catherine Deneuve).
Now, as part of a historic sale of vintage Cartier watches at Sotheby’s – the biggest to have ever come to auction – a 1987 Cartier Crash watch has set a new record for being the most valuable Cartier wristwatch ever auctioned. One of only three Crashes thought to have been made in 1987, the rare yellow gold timepiece was sold for a final price of HK$15,616,000 including fees (almost US$2 million, or almost £1.5 million).
The sale lasted only minutes and as the hammer came down on the final price, the room burst into a round of applause.
“The appeal of vintage Cartier lies in its ability to capture a moment in design history while remaining entirely timeless. Whether in the bold asymmetry of the Cartier Crash watch or the refined proportions of the Cartier Baignoire Allongée, each watch reflects a unique dialogue between artistry and innovation,” says Sam Hines, Global Chairman of Sotheby’s Watches, who chaired the sale. “This collection is remarkable not only for its breadth, but for its depth – particularly in its unprecedented assembly of Cartier London pieces, many of which are among the most important examples ever to appear on the market.”
This sale comes barely two weeks after the French maison unveiled its newest collection of shapely new timepieces at the Watches and Wonders fair in Geneva.
Riffing on many of its own iconic archival dial shapes, the convention-defying pieces included new versions of the Santos de Cartier, one of the first purpose-built wristwatches whose signature square case was imagined by Louis Cartier in 1904 for the aviator, Albert Santos-Dumont, and the Tortue, which debuted in 1912 and owes its unusual tonneau shape, and its name, to a tortoise.
Then there’s the Roadster, which first appeared in 2002 but took inspiration from the aerodynamic curves of mid-century sports cars. Discontinued after roughly a decade in production, it’s now being revived for a new generation, bearing the same head-turning profile of a droptop automobile.
And, of course, there’s a Crash watch in the line-up – an updated relative of the Crash which just turned heads at Sotheby’s. This latest version has been reimagined as a skeleton watch featuring the maker’s Manufacture 1967 MC movement with manual winding. This newest Cartier Crash is available as a limited edition of 150 numbered pieces.
Who knows, perhaps one of these will set its own record at auction in the future?
Like this? Discover Amal Clooney’s new hair colour inspired by a Cartier Panthère watch
Or, find out how Cartier is collaborating with King Charles III to safeguard watchmaking for the future