At the 2022 “Watches and Miracles” Haute Horlogerie Exhibition, Cartier launched a Crash Tigrée watch, which became the focus of the exhibition at that time. This watch not only combines beauty and uniqueness in design, but also becomes a coveted treasure among watch collectors due to its rarity. However, due to its rarity, the Crash Tigrée watch was not sold to the public. It was not until the 2023 “Watches and Miracles” Haute Horlogerie Exhibition that Cartier displayed it to the public, causing a sensation again.
The Crash Tigrée watch dates back to 1967, when it debuted in a Cartier London boutique. Many people may associate it with the shape-shifting clock in Salvador Dali’s “Persistence of Memory,” but there is actually no direct relationship between the two. According to legend, a Cartier customer brought a damaged Baignoire watch to a London boutique for repair. This “crooked” Baignoire watch inspired Cartier to create the distinctive Crash watch.
Some people say that the Cartier Crash watch is a beautiful accident. It was the “Swinging London” period of the 1960s, when fashion and culture were booming, and people were pursuing trendiness and freedom. Therefore, the Crash watch achieved great success in the market once it was released. Nowadays, auction houses have become the most common place for trading Cartier Crash watches, and watch collectors are vying for this coveted fashion classic.
As today’s protagonist, the Crash Tigrée watch continues the classic design of the Crash watch, presenting an asymmetrical gold case, like a crooked oval. Although its diameter is 43.68 x 24.26 mm, which may seem like a large figure, the unique case design offsets the actual size to a certain extent, making it visually less massive. In addition, the 10.08mm thickness of the watch is also cleverly controlled, making the overall size more decent.
Cartier classifies the Crash Tigrée watch into the Métiers d’Art master craftsmanship series, not only because of its exquisite craftsmanship in design, but also because on this watch, you can appreciate the profound heritage of Cartier’s master craftsmanship workshop. The Crash Tigrée watch combines metal engraving, enamel craftsmanship and gem setting. The design is inspired by the African animal world. The entire watch head is decorated with complex patterns, extending from the dial to the bezel. Each pattern is either filled with enamel or silver foil enamel, or is inlaid with round diamonds. The Crash Tigrée watch uses a filled enamel process, which requires first creating grooves on the metal base plate through engraving, etc., and then filling them with enamel paint, making the engraved grooves become part of the decoration. The success of this step depends on the tacit cooperation of the carving and glazing processes to ensure that the size and depth of the lines are perfectly presented. In addition, the Crash Tigrée watch also uses silver foil enamel technology, which is a traditional 19th-century craft that presses pure silver (or gold) into extremely thin sheets and then coats them with enamel to create a Detailed and layered effects.
After all the enamel work is completed, making the dial and bezel is only half done. Next, diamonds need to be set between each stripe to visually expose the precious metal dial.
The gold crown of the watch is decorated with beads and is set with a pyramid-cut diamond. The Crash Tigrée watch is paired with an iridescent calfskin strap, showing a light gradient effect that complements the rich texture of the dial. The gold buckle is also set with diamonds, which adds to the overall design.
Although there is no transparent bottom on the back of the watch, it is equipped with Cartier 1917 MC manual winding mechanical movement inside, which has a barrel-shaped appearance, is less than 3 mm thick, and displays colorful Geneva ripple decoration. Its vibration frequency is 21,600 times per hour and its power reserve is 38 hours. The Crash Tigrée watch was produced in a limited edition of 50 pieces.
With its unique design and beauty of craftsmanship, the Crash Tigrée watch showcases the precious masterpieces of Cartier watches and has become a shining pearl in the field of watch collection.