Charles Dower
Specialist
Lot 52
CARTIER. A VERY FINE AND EXCEPTIONALLY RARE 18K GOLD ITERATION OF THE 'PEBBLE' MANUAL WIND WRISTWATCH FROM THE LONDON WORKSHOPS
Pebble 'Turtle', London Hallmark for 1975
16 June 2021, 14:00 BST
London, New Bond StreetSold for £225,250 inc. premium
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Penelope Andrews
Head of Department
Jonathan Darracott
Global Head
George Kidwell
Cataloguer
CARTIER. A VERY FINE AND EXCEPTIONALLY RARE 18K GOLD ITERATION OF THE 'PEBBLE' MANUAL WIND WRISTWATCH FROM THE LONDON WORKSHOPS
Model: Pebble 'Turtle'
Date: London Hallmark for 1975
Movement: Jewelled Cal.P383 manual wind, glucydur balance, No.2058962
Dial: Cream diamond form, black Roman numerals conforming to shape of dial, black inner minute track, blued steel sword hands
Case: Polished round, unusual small 'turtle feet' lugs, diamond form aperture for dial, back secured by 4 screws, cabochon set crown, inside case back stamped JC, stamped 9972
Strap/Bracelet: Black faux crocodile leather
Buckle/Clasp: 18K gold folding clasp, numbered 1644 and stamped Jacques Cartier, London Hallmark for 1971
Signed: Dial signed Cartier, movement signed Jaeger-LeCoultre, case stamped for Jacques Cartier
Size: 36mm
Date: London Hallmark for 1975
Movement: Jewelled Cal.P383 manual wind, glucydur balance, No.2058962
Dial: Cream diamond form, black Roman numerals conforming to shape of dial, black inner minute track, blued steel sword hands
Case: Polished round, unusual small 'turtle feet' lugs, diamond form aperture for dial, back secured by 4 screws, cabochon set crown, inside case back stamped JC, stamped 9972
Strap/Bracelet: Black faux crocodile leather
Buckle/Clasp: 18K gold folding clasp, numbered 1644 and stamped Jacques Cartier, London Hallmark for 1971
Signed: Dial signed Cartier, movement signed Jaeger-LeCoultre, case stamped for Jacques Cartier
Size: 36mm
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 oversight 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.
There are estimated 6 large size 'Pebbles' in existence with five in yellow gold and one in white gold with a black dial. Only one other is known to exist with the 'Turtle' lugs which is in the Cartier collection making this probably the only chance to acquire this particular design.
It is worth mentioning the diminutive lugs on the overtly round form is echoed in the Ballon Bleu case design showing the DNA of Jean-Jacques Cartier and his influence in the last oeuvre from Cartier.
