913Σ︎
Cartier
Ref. 2463
Crash, pink gold
A well-preserved and rare pink gold asymmetric wristwatch with certificate and presentation box
Full-Cataloguing
- Rare “MADE IN FRANCE” 18K pink gold example
- Well-preserved with its certificate and box
- 7th of this configuration to appear in auction market
Born in 1967 at Cartier London, the Crash remains one of the most radical and recognisable designs in modern horology. Its origins have long been romanticised: some still insist it was inspired by the melting clocks of Dalí’s The Persistence of Memory; others prefer the tale of a Maxi Baignoire Allongée that supposedly warped in a car fire. The truth is more precise and more elegant. The design was the creation of Jean-Jacques Cartier and the gifted artisan Rupert Emmerson, who took a Maxi Baignoire Allongée and daringly distorted its lines into the liquid, asymmetrical form we know today. Over the decades the Crash has reappeared in various guises — a London revival in the 1980s, a limited platinum Paris edition in the 1990s, and a 400-piece Paris series in 1991 — each time reinforcing its status as a true cultural icon, worn by artists, celebrities, and those who understand that a watch can also be pure sculpture.
The present rare example, a 21st-century pink-gold Crash with black numerals, is the seventh “Made in France” edition of its kind to be offered at public auction. Preserved in outstanding condition showing barely any signs of wear, it offers a rare chance to acquire Cartier’s most audacious design at its most desirable. Radical and utterly unforgettable, this is the Crash at its finest.
Cartier
FrenchWith 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.