Cartier - The Geneva Watch Auction: XVIII Geneva Friday, November 3, 2023 | Phillips
  • Manufacturer: Cartier
    Year: 1991
    Case No: A109179 and 370-91
    Model Name: Crash
    Material: 18K yellow gold
    Calibre: Manual, cal. 1978-2, 17 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Alligator
    Clasp/Buckle: Gilt pink buckle
    Dimensions: 38mm Length and 23mm Width
    Signed: Case, dial and movement signed
    Accessories: Accompanied by Cartier International Guarantee Certificate dated June 25, 1993, International service card, additional certificate confirming the present watch is numbered 370/400 pieces and presentation box.

  • Catalogue Essay

    An icon of the swinging sixties crafted by the great maker of shaped watches, the Cartier Crash remains not just one of the most radical designs born in 1967 but one of the greatest throughout the decades. With a mysterious origin of the birth of this model, rumour has it that the inspiration comes from a melted Cartier Baignoire from the fire of a car crash, others refer it to the surrealist Salvador Dali’s most recognised work, Persistence of Memory. While the tale of the timepiece is compelling and romantic, the origin was addressed in Francesca Cartier Brickell’s book, The Cartiers, where she recounts a conversation with her grandfather Jean-Jacques Cartier, about how the audacity of the design was sketched out with artisan Rupert Emmerson.

    Today, the Cartier Crash has become somewhat of a cultural icon, adorning the wrists of celebrities and artists alike. It represents everything that Cartier is best known for: merging design, form and function together which transforms a timepiece beyond a "watch" and into a piece of art.

    The present watch is numbered 370 of a limited edition of 400 pieces made in 1991. Most notably, it is accompanied by its original accessories such as the Cartier International Guarantee Certificate dated June 25, 1993, International service card, additional certificate confirming the present watch is numbered 370/400 pieces and presentation box, which is a rarity itself.

  • Artist Biography

    Cartier

    French

    With the Constitution of 1848 came a new standard for luxury in France. Founded one year prior by Louis-Francois Cartier, the house of Cartier was one of the first to use platinum in jewelry making. This incredibly expensive material became the stepping-stone for Cartier to experiment in form, mechanisms and attitude. It helped men move from pocket watches to wristwatches, effectively making the watch much more functional and prominent in a man's overall wardrobe.

    Cartier did not only touch on functionality. Inspired by a commissioned painting by George Barbier featuring a black panther at the feet of an elegantly bejeweled woman, Cartier began incorporating wild animals in his designs—most notably, Cartier Panthère rings, bangle bracelets and watches. Yet it wasn't until the late 1960s that the house of Cartier debuted their iconic yellow and rose gold LOVE collection, which includes the famous bracelet that only a special screwdriver can open. 

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Σ77

A very fine and rare asymmetrical wristwatch with international guarantee and presentation box, number 370 of a limited edition of 400 pieces

1991
38mm Length and 23mm Width
Case, dial and movement signed

Estimate
CHF50,000 - 100,000 
€51,900-104,000
$55,000-110,000

Sold for CHF139,700

Contact Specialist

Alexandre Ghotbi
Deputy Chairman, Watches, Head of Watches, Europe, and Middle East

+41 79 637 17 24
AGhotbi@phillips.com

Tiffany To
Head of Sale, Geneva

+41 79 460 55 88
TiffanyTo@phillips.com

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The Geneva Watch Auction: XVIII

Geneva Auction 3 - 4 November 2023