Cartier Crash Watch 1991 Limited Edition | Important Watches Sale

in Discover / Video Highlights / Watches

The Cartier Crash is one of the most iconic watches made by the legendary jeweler. The original Crash was made by Cartier craftsmen in the UK after seeing a colleague’s watch that was badly melted in a car accident. The resulting Crash reminded many of Salvador Dali’s surrealist watches in one of his most well known works, “The Persistance of Memory,” and a legend was born that is associated with the “Swinging London” of the 1960s.

The present example is the first reissue of the original Crash. Debuted in 1991, it was limited to only 400 pieces, and modern variations of the timepiece are exclusively sold in the London boutique with multiple-year waitlists. It was offered this past December 12 at Fortuna’s Important Watches auction for an estimated $30,000–$50,000 and achieved a record-breaking $81,250, the highest amount ever achieved for a Crash at an auction house. For more information on this lot, click here.

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