Manufacturer: Cartier Year: Circa 1962 Reference No: 95-704-542 Case No: No. 93 Model Name: Super Sub-Sea Material: Stainless steel Calibre: Manual, cal. 95M, 17 jewels; further stamped with import code “MXI” Dimensions: 40mm Diameter Signed: Dial signed Cartier. Case and movement signed Movado.
Catalogue Essay
Founded in 1881 in La Chaux de Fonds, Movado established its reputation as a high-quality movement manufacturer, designing, testing and assembling their own movements under one roof. Following World War II, only a handful of brands could produce in-house movements, with most brands purchasing ébauches and finishing them to their specifications.
Movado’s Sub-Sea model was the brand’s water-resistant chronograph wristwatch, using their C 95 M chronograph caliber. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, as brands were beginning to develop even more robust cases not just for leisurely sports activity, but for use as tools for scuba diving, Movado revealed the Super Sub-Sea with an upsized 40mm case, rotating bezel, and highly legible reverse panda dial with luminous hour markers. In period advertisements for the American market, it was referred to as the “Fat Watch”, celebrating the modular chronograph movement that increased its thickness and “gives your watch a stability that skinny watches don’t have.”
A close look at this watch will reveal not a Movado signature on the dial, but the famed jewelry and watch maison Cartier. At the time, Movado headquarters in the United States was also located on Fifth Avenue, and boasted both Cartier and Tiffany & Co. as close neighbors – and many of their watches bear these illustrious retailer signatures on the dials as well. To complement the originality of this signature, the movement bears the U.S. import code for Movado, indicating that this watch was likely imported through Movado U.S.A. for an important client of Cartier.
An oft-overlooked gem of mid-century tool watches, the present Super Sub-Sea is an extraordinary, fresh-to-the-market find. Purchased from the original owner by the consignor, it bears all the hallmarks of a highly desirable watch for those collectors for whom details matter: a prestigious retailer-signed dial, low production, the charismatic ‘kris’ hands unique to Movado chronographs, and well-preserved overall condition.
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.