We cannot begin this article without providing you with the historical context of the creation of this watch within the most prestigious French jewelry and watchmaking house: Cartier.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the three Cartier brothers divided the management of the French house into three geographical areas: Louis, the creative elder, set his sights on the fashion capital, Paris. Pierre, the entrepreneur, took over the United States with New York. Finally, Jacques, the Globe-Trotter, focused on London and the United Kingdom, whose Empire (notably made up of colonies) was then considerable.
The London flagship store on Bond Street in the early 1900s...
The three branches were thus managed independently with different catalogs and collections.
The London branch was particularly distinguished for its creativity with a bold and innovative style for wristwatches (Tank Cintrée in 1921, Tank Asymétrique in 1936) which are reissued today in smaller quantities and unleash the passion of collectors. We can also think of the "Dice" model illustrating a dice and produced circa 1970 during the early days of the Crash.
Illustration of a Cartier London watch sold for close to 138,600 CHF in 2023 by Christie’s auction house
The "Crash" wristwatch owes its birth to the London branch in 1967. Its origins remain somewhat vague and shrouded in legend. One such story tells of a watch that was damaged in a car accident and ended up at the house's after-sales service in this way. However, it is established that the craftsman Rupert Emmerson contributed to its design as well as its making. It is difficult not to draw a parallel with some works of the artist Salvador Dali such as "The Persistence of Memory".
Illustration of Salvador Dali's artwork "The Persistence of Memory" (1931).
The Crash has particularly stood out in auction rooms in recent years (circa 2020), benefiting from a renewed interest in the Cartier house. This resurgence is partly explained by a market saturated with steel sports watches, having reached peaks (not always justified considering their relative rarity).
Illustration of a "London" dial piece sold by Sotheby’s auction house in 2021
Its current notoriety is partly due to the personalities who have worn it on their wrist such as the artist Kanye West in 2021, or more recently the actor Timothée Chalamet and the rapper Jay-Z at the latest Oscars...
The Cartier Crash evolved over several generations, with the oldest ones bearing the "London" signature on the dial being the rarest and most sought-after.
Unlike the latest generations, the first versions display manual finishes that exude craftsmanship. They are powered by the Jaeger LeCoultre manual winding caliber 841. The clasps were manufactured by the London goldsmith Wright & Davies.
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Illustration of a 1967 piece sold for 1.5M USD by Loupe This in May 2022
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In 1991, the Cartier Paris branch created a limited edition of 400 pieces. The finishes are then more precise and less artisanal than the 60s editions.
The dial is no longer signed "London" but now "Paris". (As a reminder, the New York, Paris, and London branches were united under a single entity in 1979).
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Illustration of a piece sold by Phillips auction house for 178,000 EUR in November 2023
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Illustration of the back of the 1991 edition (credits Phillips)
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Illustration of two pieces sold by Phillips auction house in 2023 in Geneva, including a very rare platinum version
Nearly twenty years later in 2013, Cartier reissued the Crash in a series (still limited), set with diamonds and delivered on a precious metal bracelet, white gold or rose gold (267 pieces for each metal), as well as 67 pieces for the fully set versions. The dial is now signed "Swiss Made".
Through its CPCP program of reissues of iconic pieces from the house in very limited editions, Cartier unveiled at SIHH 2015 a skeleton version in white gold, powered by the splendid Calibre 9618 MC, a manual winding Manufacture mechanical movement (138 components – 20 jewels – 28,800 alt/h – 3 days of power reserve). A rose gold version followed in 2016.
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Edition unveiled at the SIHH fair in 2013 (Credits Cartier)
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Cartier Crash Skeleton unveiled at the watchmaking fair SIHH in 2015
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On the occasion of the reopening of the historic London store in 2019, Cartier paid tribute to its history by regaining exclusive distribution of the Crash with a fairly simple policy: one watch per month.
Illustration of the new generation of the Cartier Crash since 2019
Cartier still produces the Crash today, some versions being rarer than others with luminous dials, in platinum, or as special orders for its best customers.
Illustration of a splendid special order with black dial (Credits @roni_m_29)
Its very distinctive design blurs the lines regarding its gender. Its contained diameter allows it to be a unisex watch.
The Cartier Crash disrupts the world of collectors. A flagship model of the Cartier house for its lesser production (just like the Daytona "Paul Newman" within the Rolex house), many did not anticipate it. The Cartier Crash is closer to a work of art than a piece of high horology, and its timeless design gives it a very promising future.
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Illustration of a yellow gold piece from 1991
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Illustration of a rare platinum piece from 1991
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We hope you have found this article, which does not claim to be exhaustive, informative. We remain at your disposal to receive your comments and provide, if necessary, further information.
The different dials of the Cartier Crash
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"London" Dial |
"Paris" Dial |
"Swiss Made" Dial |
