Christie’s Sells Most Expensive Cartier Watch Yet For More Than $2 Million

Christie’s and Cartier just smashed yet another record for the most expensive Cartier watch ever sold.

As part of the “Geneva Magnificent Jewels” Collection, an ultra-rare 1990 Cartier Crash London just fetched more than $2 million. The final hammer price surpassed that of a Sotheby’s Cartier watch auction just weeks ago for approximately $1.99 million at Sotheby’s Important Watches sale in Hong Kong. Sotheby’s reportedly broke records with its sale of the elusive Cartier Crash, according to Robb Report, while Christie’s noted that the latest Crash wristwatch fetched about $2.028 million earlier this week.

At the “Magnificent Jewels” auction, Christie’s noted the rare, historic nature of the Cartier Crash, saying that “this timepiece is distinguished by its crisp, heavy gold case and matching gold ‘Crash’ deployant clasp, both of which have full Cartier London signatures.” The rarity of the visually appealing, almost Salvador Dali-esque face channels an avant-garde presence that collectors certainly value, as both Sotheby’s and Christie’s have noted during recent auctions.

The latest record-breaking Cartier auction comes as the market for pre-owned luxury vintage watches continues to reach unprecedented heights. With its 18-karat gold case and asymmetrical, distinctive build, the 1990 version of the Cartier Crash tripled its low pre-sale estimate. Christie’s called the watch “one of the most anticipated pieces in the Rare Watches auction,” and its final hammer price certainly reflects that value.

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The watch design itself has gone through a number of iterations over the years, each time retaiing its asymmetrical case and striking good looks. For its part, auction house Sotheby’s is selling off an array of rare Cartiers through various auctions. Sotheby’s has notably called its own auction-ready lineup “the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of vintage Cartier watches, assembled over decades.”