Cartier - The Hong Kong Watch Auction: ONE Hong Kong Monday, November 30, 2015 | Phillips
  • Manufacturer: Cartier
    Year: Circa 1972
    Movement No: 2'138'465
    Case No: 1'149
    Model Name: Crash
    Material: 18k yellow gold
    Calibre: Mechanical, K840, 17 jewels
    Clasp/Buckle: 18k yellow gold Cartier Crash deployant buckle
    Dimensions: 25 mm. wide
    Signed: Case and dial signed Cartier, movement signed LeCoultre Co.

  • Exhibited

    For an original "Cartier Crash London", please see Cartier Time Art by Jack Forster, page 86 and 87.

  • Catalogue Essay

    The Cartier "Crash" watch was first released in late 1967, and then reissued as a limited edition series in 1991.

    Legend says that Cartier employees found a Cartier Bagnoire watch in the embers of a car crash. The watch case had melted into the shape of Salvador Dali’s watch in The Persistence of Memory, which inspired the company to produce a similar watch, aptly named "Crash".

    This yellow gold example is an original from the 1960s, which is among the rarest within the "Crash" family. The case is preserved in fantastic condition, accompanied with a unique "crash" buckle in equally good condition. The movement is signed LeCoultre Co, which is correct for that period.

  • 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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Σ255

A lady's fine and very rare yellow gold wristwatch

Circa 1972
25 mm. wide
Case and dial signed Cartier, movement signed LeCoultre Co.

Estimate
HK$120,000 - 200,000 

Sold for HK$1,096,000

Contact Specialist

Thomas Perazzi
Head of Watches, Asia
+852 2318 2001
thomasperazzi@phillips.com

Ziyong Ho
Specialist
+852 9386 2032
ziyongho@phillips.com

Jill Chen
Specialist
+852 2318 2033
jillchen@phillips.com

The Hong Kong Watch Auction: ONE

Hong Kong Auction 1 December 2015 11am