Cartier - The Geneva Watch Auction: XI Geneva Sunday, June 28, 2020 | Phillips
  • Manufacturer: Cartier
    Year: Circa 1978
    Case No: 970'500'659
    Model Name: "Jumbo Gondole"
    Material: 18K yellow gold
    Calibre: Manual, cal. 97B, 17 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Alligator
    Clasp/Buckle: 18K yellow gold Cartier deployant clasp
    Dimensions: 34.5mm Width and 38mm Length
    Signed: Case, dial, movement and clasp signed

  • Catalogue Essay

    Very rare, this oversized Cartier perfectly encapsulates the brand's daring and unusual designs of the 1970s and 1980s. Flat, large and wide, it houses a manual winding movement and has immense presence on the wrist due to its stepped case. Furthermore, the Roman numeral hour markers, blued steel hands and sapphire-set crown enables the viewer to immediately recognize the design as being inherently "Cartier".

    The timepiece is also preserved in excellent condition, with a crisp case number on the caseback and sharp hallmarks.

  • Artist Biography

    Cartier

    French

    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. 

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146

A highly rare and oversized wristwatch with stepped case

Circa 1978
34.5mm Width and 38mm Length
Case, dial, movement and clasp signed

Estimate
CHF8,000 - 12,000 
€7,400-11,100
$8,700-13,100

Sold for CHF12,500

Contact Specialist

Alexandre Ghotbi
Head of Watches, Continental Europe and the Middle East

41 79 637 1724
aghotbi@phillips.com

The Geneva Watch Auction: XI

Geneva Auction 27 - 28 June 2020