WHY WE CURATED IT:
Most notable Cartiers are four-sided. Tanks, Santos, Pantheres, Tonneaus, even Tortues (plus each of their myriad variations) are all either overtly or subtly four-sided. Uncommon early circular pieces were all but forgotten until the 70s when Cartier revived them as Vendômes, named after their new Parisian boutique at Place Vendôme (to complement its historical flagship at 13 Rue de la Paix). Vendômes are some of the most underrated Cartiers and here we have a particularly striking one with a “Tuxedo” dial; an ultra-classy, very seldom seen variant among the rarest Vendôme dials. Comes with an equally uncommon Cartier deployant instead of pin buckle, with a used Cartier alligator strap! We already love these ultra-thin elegant Vendômes, and if you’re in the market, this is one you’ll probably never see another person wearing in the same room.
CONDITION:
8.5/10 with just light hairlines. Would have been a 9 if not for a scrape at the case sides around 9:30 measuring 1mm x 3mm. Sapphire crystal and cabochon are clean. Lacquer dial too, with subtle spidering that’s appreciated by collectors as wabi-sabi charm and a sign of original and unreplaced authenticity for age. Hands have some mild age spots. Caseback has crisp and deep engravings and hallmarks. Strap is used with some signs of wear but has plenty of life remaining. Movement in excellent health, and quartz-accurate.
DIMENSIONS:
30mm width excl. crown
36.8mm length incl. lugs
4.9mm thick
16mm lug width with custom T-bar cutouts
Dial width ~25.5mm
Wrist in photos is 15.8cm
CRYSTAL:
Sapphire
CASE:
925 sterling silver, 20 micron gold-plating
WATER RESISTANCE:
Assumed none, as per vintage watches
STRAP:
Original Cartier gloss black alligator with original Cartier folding deployant
CALIBRE:
Cartier Cal. 81, 2-hander quartz
COMES WITH:
Watch, original Cartier strap and deployant
TERMS OF SALE:
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