A crazy Cartier timepiece has fetched an equally crazy price at auction.
An ultra-rare Crash hammered down for 15.6 million Hong Kong dollars (approximately $1.99 million at the current exchange rate) at Sotheby's Important Watches sale in Hong Kong on Friday, becoming the most valuable Cartier wristwatch ever sold, according to the auction house. A 1973 Cartier London Baignoire and a 1967 Cartier London Tank Normale also set records at the auction.
The Crash, believed to be one of only three examples made in 1987, appears to have been purchased by Valuence Holdings CEO Shinsuke Sakimoto. The Japanese businessman and luxury resale mogul also bought the original 1984 Hermès Birkin bag formerly owned by Jane Birkin.
"It is truly an honor to become part of the story of this remarkable piece," Sakimoto wrote on Instagram.
Created by Jean-Jacques Cartier, head of Cartier London at the time, and designer Rupert Emmerson, the original crash was released at the height of the Swinging Sixties. It is rumored to have been inspired by a melted Baignoire Allongée recovered from a car crash or by Dalí's 1931 painting, The Persistence of Memory, but the truth is, it was a last-ditch effort by the then-struggling jewelry house to appeal to trendy Londoners. The early models were manufactured by hand at the Bond Street workshop and hence are often emblazoned with "Cartier London" on the dial, while later versions (from the '90s onward) were produced in Paris.
This particular example is one of an exceptionally small number of special Crashes made in London in the late '80s. Exact production numbers remain unclear, but Cartier's Geneva archives from 2017 suggest that it is one of only three pieces specially commissioned in 1987. It features the signature melted case in yellow-gold, a white asymmetrical dial with the trademark distorted Roman numerals and the coveted Cartier London name, a sapphire-set crown, a gold caseback with more London hallmarks, and a brown leather strap. Inside lies a Jaeger-LeCoultre movement (calibre 841) signed by Cartier. It was originally expected to sell for between 3.2 million and 6 million Hong Kong dollars, but exceeded that pre-sale estimate, becoming the most expensive Cartier watch in the world. The record was previously held by another London Crash that sold for $1.65 million in 2022. The result underscores the enduring appeal of the surrealist-style timepiece.
The extreme scarcity and exceptionally high value of the Crash have cemented it as a must-have among A-listers and collectors, with everyone from Jay-Z and Tyler, the Creator to Tom Brady and Bad Bunny strapping it on. As such, the Cartier odd-ball is now not only obscenely overpriced but very much over-worn. It is not clear whether Sakimoto will wear his or not. His company, Valuence Holdings, announced it would exhibit the aforementioned record-breaking Birkin, rather than resell it, so perhaps the Cartier will also wind up in a museum. Time will tell.
