Cartier

Vintage Cartier watches and clocks regular achieve outstanding results at auction. Especially valuable are the early 20th century Cartier watches with extremely fine European Watch & Clock Company (EWC) movements supplied by LeCoultre.

Nonetheless, the result hammer price of a 1929 Cartier Tank in platinum was stunning, a record breaking $135,000.

Here is Patrizzi & Co's description for the record-breaking Tank:

LOT 110
“Louis Cartier” Platinum Tank.
Cartier, Paris, No. 21946, “Louis Cartier,” completed February 8, 1929, sold by Cartier, London.
Very fine and very rare, platinum men’s wristwatch with original Cartier platinum bracelet and original fitted morocco box.

SOLD for $135,000 (new world record)

The fact that it is in platinum, with a matching platinum bracelet, is likely the reason for the sale price.

Osvaldo Patrizzi gave Cartier an strong vote of confidence in the press release announcing the results:

“With this auction, Cartier and Rolex join Patek Philippe in the top-tier for collectors. Breaking the world record for a platinum Art Déco Louis Cartier Tank at auction is a tremendous achievement,” said Osvaldo Patrizzi, president and CEO of Patrizzi & Co. “A Cartier ruby-set platinum and rock crystal pocket watch sold for more than double its estimate and the sale of the Cartier Comet Clock with grande sonnerie demonstrates the esteem among collectors for this type of timepiece.”

Several other vintage Cartier timepieces sold for handsome sums at the same auction. Here are some highlights: 

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LOT 109
Cartier Complicated Comet Clock
Cartier, Paris, No. 2577, completed in 1929.
An exceptional and magnificent, nephrite mounted in 18k yellow gold, eight-day duration, grande sonnerie carriage desk clock with phases of the moon, days of the week, date and alarm with original morocco fitted box, accompanied by a Cartier certificate.

SOLD for $250,000

 

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LOT 106
Platinum, Rock Crystal And Ruby-Set Pocket Watch.
Cartier, Paris, No. 21079, completed on October 12, 1928, sold by Cartier, London
Very fine and rare, keyless, rock crystal, ruby-set men’s dress pocket watch in platinum with platinum chain and original fitted morocco box. One of the thinnest rock crystal models and movements ever used by Cartier.

SOLD for $46,000 (more than double its estimate)

 

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LOT 111
“Louis Cartier” Tank
Cartier, London, No. 9120, with London hallmark for 1977.
Very rare, 18k white gold men’s wristwatch with matching 18k white gold bracelet, entirely made in Cartier’s London workshop, with original Cartier morocco fitted box.

SOLD for $60,000

 

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LOT NO. 119
Cartier Platinum Minute Repeater Pocket Watch.
Cartier, Paris, No. 8779, circa 1918.
Very fine and extremely rare, platinum, minute repeating, men’s dress pocket watch with a noble provenance and original fitted morocco box. This watch is the earliest known surviving example of approximately 20 minute-repeating platinum watches produced by Cartier prior to World War II.

SOLD for $42,000

 

All images from Patrizzi& Co.

- SJX

This message has been edited by SJX on 2010-03-12 20:10:43

Good to see that these pieces did so well at the auction.
Especially the platinum Tank with the 'basketweave mesh' bracelet is só extra ordinary.
Watches are a little bigger these days, but I do hope that Cartier will bring back some of the great bracelet designs
from the past, in may be different proportions.
F.i. for the LC tank XL.
GEO

Reminds me of a gold Cartier Tank, pre-CPCP, with a similar bracelet a friend of mine just bought as new old stock. I will get a photo of it.

- SJX

The auction results are very impressive.  Its nice to see a strong appreciation for vintage Cartier watches.  These all appeared to be beautiful examples and its nice to see they had their original boxes.  I love seeing vintage pieces that have original items that the watches were sold with, such as boxes or papers.  Thanks for sharing the results with us.

Best regards,

Dino

Hi Dino,

Very often when vintage watches are presented with "original" boxes, but no documentation, I wonder if they are period correct boxes or actually the original boxes that were sold with the watch. I wonder too in this case.

- SJX

When I look at vintage watches for sale on the net, especially for pieces I'm very familiar with I've often noticed that they will sell a watch with a period correct box, but its often not the box for that specific model of watch.  I had not thought of this with regard to auctions.  I may have presumed when they say with original box its the "correct original box" that the watch was sold with rather than merely a box from the period that the watch was made.  This becomes more difficult to determine on much older vintage watches that are older than I am (since I never saw a new one with correct packaging) and there are few survivors out there with all of their correct original boxes and papers.   I will definitely be thinking about this the next time I look at auction items that do not have their papers.  Thanks SJX.

Best regards,

Dino

That a 80 year old watch has the "original" box but not the papers. The
original owner(s) would presumably have kept the papers with the box since
boxes from that period tended to have slots or compartments for the papers,
or the papers would be folded or rolled into the box somehow, unlike modern
packaging where the papers come in books and folios.

- SJX

sometimes papers are misplaced.....

it has happened to me once, when I tried to sell a watch of mine and could not find its papers....
usually I keep them together.... but that time....

cheers

ps I found the papers a few days after I sold it....

thanks for the info....

cheers