
Sharon Chan
Head of department, Director of Watches, Asia
Sold for HK$1,147,000 inc. premium
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The Cartier Crash watch's beginnings are shrouded in mystery, making it one of the most intriguing tales in the realm of horology. Some speculate that its unique shape was inspired by Salvador Dali's melting clocks in his most famous work "The Persistence of Memory", while others suggest it was influenced by a distorted timepiece salvaged from an automobile wreck. Regardless of its true genesis, the Cartier Crash remains a groundbreaking and highly coveted piece to this day. The inaugural series of the Cartier Crash debuted in 1967, available solely at the Cartier Boutique in London. Over the years, only a select few variations have been released. The current lot is from the "Made in France" era, denoting Crash watches produced from the late 1990s and early 2000s, before the maison's transition of its watchmaking operations to Switzerland. As such any future crash models with these distinctive London/Paris and Made in France signatures will continue to be exceedingly rare. In excellent condition, the current example is a beautiful testament to artistry and innovation that has made the Crash a true grail in the watch collecting world.
卡地亞Crash腕錶的設計靈感究竟源自何處眾說紛紜,這也讓Crash的起源成為高級製錶業最讓人津津樂道的故事之一。有人推測其獨特造型是受到達利著名畫作《The Persistence of Memory記憶的堅持》中融化的時鐘所啟發;也有人聲稱它其實是參考了一只在車禍中扭曲變形的錶而來。然而無論真相為何,都不影響Crash充滿開創性並且廣受愛戴的事實。第一代Crash於1967年問世,只有在卡地亞位於倫敦的專賣店獨賣。至今仍只少量地推出過幾個不同版本的變化,本次上拍的這件拍品出自於「法國生產」時期,意味著是在卡地亞將其製錶重心轉移至瑞士之前的90年代至千禧年前後所製作。像這類型有著「倫敦面」、「巴黎面」又或者「法國生產」印記的Crash腕錶向來十分罕見。本拍品品相完整,創意與美感兼具,正是Crash作為鐘錶收藏逸品的最佳驗證。