Long a mystery, the Cartier Crash’s origins were recently revealed by none other than the granddaughter of Jean-Jacques Cartier, Francesca Cartier Brickell. Some believed incorrectly the melted timepieces in Salvador Dali’s most recognizable work, the “Persistence of Memory”, inspired its fluid shape. A more widely rumored, yet incorrect story involved a Cartier executive injured in a car accident. Their Maxi Baignoire Alongée melted from the fire that ensued, transforming its shape. In Brickell’s The Cartiers: The Untold Story of the Family Behind the Jewelry Empire, she writes the design was the brainchild of her grandfather Jean-Jacques Cartier and designer Rupert Emmerson. The original Crash was released in 1967 by Cartier London and since then, very limited batches of the famed design were released throughout the decades until the present day. At the time, Jean-Jacques Cartier was the head of Cartier London, and along with Emmerson, they modified a Maxi Baignoire Alongée to make it look as if the watch had been in a crash.

After the relaunch of the Crash in the 1990s, small numbers of gem-set Crash watches were made. They were highly limited in production, and do not often find their way to auction. The present example in yellow gold is further set with three rows of pavé diamonds around the sides of the case, and the crown is set with a faceted diamond, rather than a sapphire spinel. An asymmetric Crash buckle creates a cohesive image. The present Cartier Crash set with diamonds, with dial signed Paris, is offered in crisp condition, with its coordinating deployant clasp.