Charles Dower
Head of sale, Knightsbridge
Lot 108Y
Cartier. A very fine and rare 18K gold manual wind wristwatch offered on behalf of the original owner Pebble, London Hallmark for 1972
14 December 2022, 14:00 GMT
London, New Bond StreetSold for £239,700 inc. premium
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Penelope Andrews
Head of Department
Jonathan Darracott
Global Head
George Kidwell
Senior Cataloguer
Edith Chong
Cataloguer
Cartier. A very fine and rare 18K gold manual wind wristwatch offered on behalf of the original owner
Model: Pebble
Date: London Hallmark for 1972
Movement: Jewelled Cal.P838 manual wind, Glucydor balance, No.1600671
Dial: Cream, black Roman numerals, black inner minute track, blued steel sword hands
Case: Polished round, back secured by 4 screws, cabochon set crown, hooded lugs, No.1270
Strap/Bracelet: Brown Cartier alligator leather
Buckle/Clasp: 18K gold deployant clasp, stamped JC and numbered 1270, London Hallmark for 1972
Signed: Case stamped JC, movement signed Jaeger-LeCoultre, dial signed Cartier
Size: 35mm
Accompaniments: Cartier service pouch
Date: London Hallmark for 1972
Movement: Jewelled Cal.P838 manual wind, Glucydor balance, No.1600671
Dial: Cream, black Roman numerals, black inner minute track, blued steel sword hands
Case: Polished round, back secured by 4 screws, cabochon set crown, hooded lugs, No.1270
Strap/Bracelet: Brown Cartier alligator leather
Buckle/Clasp: 18K gold deployant clasp, stamped JC and numbered 1270, London Hallmark for 1972
Signed: Case stamped JC, movement signed Jaeger-LeCoultre, dial signed Cartier
Size: 35mm
Accompaniments: Cartier service pouch
Footnotes
Cartier started to produce wristwatches in their London workshops in the 1960s at the absolute height of the 'swinging sixties' when London's influence and creativity was reverberating around the world. At this time, under the supervision of Jean-Jacques Cartier, Cartier created some of the most interesting and now sought after designs of the vintage watch world such as the Maxi Oval and the Crash. Each watch was hand crafted in the jewellery workshops before being handed to the watchmakers to make up into the finished piece. Each piece would then take approximately a week to produce ensuring their quality and by default their scarcity.
During this period Cartier London designed the watch that bears the nickname of the 'Pebble' or in the United States the 'Baseball'. Using the simple juxtaposition of a square within a circle sums up the clear design definitions that create distinctive and original watch designs. By softening the square with rounded edges and flipping the point to twelve o'clock makes it distinctively Cartier.
Celebrating its 50th Anniversary, 2022 is an exciting year for the Cartier Pebble. In October Cartier unveiled a new limited edition of 150 pieces, raising awareness and introducing the model to a new audience. The current lot represents an incredibly rare opportunity to obtain an original Pebble hallmarked for London 1972 and offered on behalf of the original owner. A cherished watch over the years, the owner recalls purchasing the piece in the early 70s along with the smaller version directly from Cartier London. With only a handful of pieces known this truly is an exceptionally rare watch to come to market with impeccable provenance.
