The PHILLIPS Hong Kong Watch Auction: XXI takes place on 21-23 November 2025, at our West Kowloon headquarters. The auction includes more than 300 of the world's finest watches – and though we are loath to boast, we truly think it's one of the best catalogues we've ever put together. We'll be highlighting a number of the most interesting lots and stories featured in the sale right here, including the Cartier Coussin "Bamboo" Jumbo seen below.
– By Logan Baker
Cartier has always balanced restraint with daring, but in the 1970s, that balance tilted toward experimentation.
The Coussin “Bamboo” is a perfect example of what happened when the Maison let instinct lead. It’s a watch that feels more like sculpture than design – a cushion-shaped case carved from gold and textured to resemble the segmented rhythm of bamboo stalks.
At the time, Cartier's creative energy was splintered across three cities – Paris, London, and New York – each with its own voice. When those threads began to intertwine again in the 1970s, Cartier entered one of its most playful and inventive periods.
The name Coussin – French for “cushion” – comes from its softly indented square form, a shape Cartier first explored decades earlier. But in this 1970s interpretation, Cartier reimagined it through a more nature-oriented lens. Each side of the gold case was engraved and polished to emulate bamboo’s knotted texture, catching light in a way that makes the case appear alive.
The watch featured here, offered in the upcoming Phillips Hong Kong Watch Auction: XXI, represents the elusive “Jumbo” variant – reference 78102 – crafted entirely in 18k yellow gold. At 28.2 by 36.4 millimeters, it was strikingly large for its time, and even today, it wears with a confident presence.
We estimate that around 250 examples of the Coussin Bamboo Jumbo were produced, with only about a dozen 18k yellow gold examples and a single 18k white gold piece having been seen at auction to date. Inside beats Cartier’s manual-wind calibre 78-1, a simple, reliable movement consistent with the Maison’s mechanical offerings of the era.
Like much of 1970s Cartier, the Coussin “Bamboo” was designed for those who valued individuality over conformity, and who understood that luxury could be playful. While many of the traditional leading Swiss houses were focused on overcoming the Quartz Revolution and pioneering industrial elegance, Cartier leaned into texture, jewelry, and design. The Coussin “Bamboo” reflects that vision immaculately. The smooth, engraved bezel feels tactile and expressive. The clean white dial – signed Cartier Paris – is restrained, with Roman numerals, a chemin-de-fer minute track, and blued steel hands. The sapphire-set cabochon crown adds a final flash of cool blue against all that gold.
For decades, collectors overlooked the Coussin Bamboo. It was too eccentric, too rare, too undefined to fit neatly within Cartier’s core lineup. But time has a way of rewarding originality.
In recent years, interest in the Bamboo Coussin has exploded, with examples that once sold for around $5,000 now fetching many times that figure. The newfound enthusiasm reflects a broader reappraisal of Cartier’s 1960s–70s output – a period now recognized as one of the brand’s most inventive.
The model was available in two sizes, both in 18k yellow and white gold. The larger sizes came with 18k folding clasps, while the smaller sizes with gold buckles. The white gold examples are especially rare, but even yellow gold versions appear at auction only occasionally. To find one in crisp, untouched condition, with the bamboo fluting still sharp and defined, feels like rediscovering a lost branch of Cartier’s design family tree.
The Coussin Bamboo also captures something fundamental about the decade that gave birth to it. The 1970s were characterized by liberation – socially, culturally, aesthetically – and Cartier reflected this spirit by allowing form to flow. The bamboo motif, drawn from nature and filtered through Parisian design, gave the watch a sculptural softness rarely seen in traditional fine watchmaking.
Introduced around 1973 as part of the Louis Cartier Collection, the Bamboo Coussin stood out for its exoticism and boldness. The two-part case is held together by four screws, visible on the caseback. The crown, beaded and capped with a cabochon sapphire, added a touch of visual dynamism.
The Coussin Bamboo embodies Cartier’s rare ability to merge whimsy with craftsmanship, and elegance with audacity. For all its flamboyant gold and organic lines, it remains effortlessly refined – a wearable piece of sculpture that feels as relevant now as it did half a century ago.
You can view the complete Phillips Hong Kong Watch Auction: XXI auction catalogue here.