Manufacturer: Cartier Year: Circa 1998 Reference No: 2406 Case No: 3/10-1998 Model Name: Collection Privée Pasha de Cartier Material: 18k white gold Calibre: Mechanical Bracelet/Strap: Burgundy Cartier crocodile leather strap Clasp/Buckle: 18k white gold Cartier folding deployant buckle Dimensions: 38 mm. diameter Signed:Case, dial and movement signed Accessories: With Cartier International Guarantee Certificate dated 26 September 1998, loupe, polishing cloth, pouch, fitted presentation box and outer packaging.
Catalogue Essay
This exclusive semi-skeletonised tourbillon wristwatch is numbered 3 of a limited edition of 10 examples only manufactured for the Pasha de Cartier collection. The watch features a tourbillon movement coupled with a very unique display. The bridges hosting the tourbillon carriage are elegantly crafted as a double C for Cartier, giving the watch a very distinctive look. The exquisite craftsmanship of the tourbillon carriage is prominently displayed through the skeletonized dial. Produced in a very limited edition only, the present tourbillon wristwatch is crafted in accordance with Cartier’s aesthetic excellence and superior quality.
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.