Cartier Pebble

Origin

Headed up by Louis-François Cartier's three grandsons, by the early 20th century, Paris, London, and New York were established as the three distinct houses of the iconic French maison Cartier. This international spread of business was the key to the worldwide success of the Parisian jeweller and watchmaker, as Jacques Cartier went to London, Pierre went to New York, and Louis Joseph Cartier remained at the Paris boutique. Over the proceeding decades, each location became known for its individual styles and slightly nuanced implementations of its creations. In our world of timekeeping, nuance is everything. While watches rarely came out of New York, London and Paris became some of the most desirable, with the London location taking the spot for being the most creative (Think the Crash). As such, there is a clear distinction and allure between each location's creations, each telling unique and emotive origin stories. By the swinging sixties, Cartier London began producing watches. While we recognise the brand today for its widespread prominence, during this period, Cartier's creations were still very bespoke, handmade, and small-scale. This, fused with expressive creativity, resulted in some of the most singular and now desirable pieces today.

For the Cartier collecting community, few watches top the Pebble. In 1972, Jean-Jacques Cartier's New Bond Street boutique produced this unusual 'square in circle' piece. With the Crash having come five years before, it's comprehensible why the decision to rotate the Pebble's square dial was made. In total, it is believed that les than a dozen examples were ever produced, with the most being rendered in yellow gold and one is known in white gold fitted with a black dial – that was until Cartier's modern CPCP collection decided to celebrate this creation.

The Collection Privée Cartier Paris is an assortment of re-imagined Cartier pieces produced in extremely limited numbers to celebrate historically significant and rare models; in 2022, to mark its 50th birthday, the Pebble returned as a 150-piece limited edition run. Created exclusively in 18k yellow gold, the Pebble has become one of the most desirable CPCP additions due in part to the scarcity of the original, its scarily accurate proportions, limited nature, and the continued fascination with Cartier.

The Watch

The fame of shapely smaller dress watches as of late is all down to one manufacturer, Cartier. The Crash was famously the catalyst, and in 2022, the Collection Privée Cartier Paris announced its new addition to celebrate its 50th birthday, the Pebble. Now, there are a handful of ultra-desirable unobtainable vintage Cartier references, and while we familiarised ourselves with one of them recently in the form of the Guichets, the Pebble is another sitting proudly at the top of collectors' dream pile. In the 1970s, they only made a few, but in 2022, they stretched that number to a still concise 150, with every model in yellow gold.

Perfectly round and, well, pebble-like, the case of the Cartier Pebble has a domed flying saucer-like structure with the lugs behind hidden from view. Completely polished throughout, the exterior of the modern Pebble very closely resembles the original at 36mm wide with a 6.3mm thickness, compared to 35.4mm and 5.3mm. Despite the unusual rendering, the hallmarks of a Cartier remain faithful, with a cabochon-tipped beaded crown at three leading nicely into the familiar yet different dial.

Square in round, rotated and presented as a diamond, the dial of the Pebble is the perfect intersection between unique but not kitsch, as the orientation of the numerals and form remain conventional. Yet, the impact is striking. The legendary Cartier design language still rings true, with a central black railroad track, black Roman numerals, thermally blued sword hands, and a soft brass opaline dial. Worthy of note are the four cardinal numerals as they gently concave around the sharp right-angle edge of the railroad track. It's details like this that set the Maison apart.

Signed 'Cartier' at the central position and within the 'VII' numerals, nothing is as effortlessly elegant and suave about the Cartier Pebble.

The Movement

The Cartier Calibre 430MC beats inside the Pebble, and its favourable proportions – just 2.1mm thick and 20.5mm in diameter – are critical to its success. Found elsewhere among other watches such as the Santos Dumont, Ballon Bleu and the Tortue, this 36-hour strong manual wind calibre is based on the Piaget 430P. This ultra-thin calibre is a direct descendant of the hugely significant 9P.

How It Wears

While many Cartier creations air on the side of understated, the quirky curves and singularity are remarkably bold and noticeable on the wrist. But therein lies its charm. It's eye-catching because of its unusual form, but for those who know, it's incredibly distinctive. Proportionally, it's a total charmer. Authentic to the original, which still suits this dress watch appreciation world we're maturing into. The Pebble has 'keeper' written all over it.

Condition

Dating from 2022, this Cartier Pebble is in excellent condition, showing minimal signs of wear and is presented as a full set. Fitted on a Mr Watchley Calf Boxed Green Strap, the watch was sold privately, complete with its original 18k yellow gold Cartier pin buckle and its original strap.

* Every watch is delivered in a Mr WATCHLEY Membrane Protection Box for a safe transportation in addition to its original set *