Cartier is launching a new version of its famous Crash model – the Cartier Crash Skelton, which will make its debut at SIHH 2015 exhibition.
The Cartier Crash model was first unveiled back in 1967, at the heart of Swinging London, the capital of cool. The fashion and cultural scene of London in the 1960s emphasized the cultural revolution, the modern, upbeat hip and fashionable spirit that led to a flourishing of the arts, fashion, design and social changes - as opposed to the grimy post-war atmosphere. The asymmetrical Crash watch, with its unlikely shape, epitomizes the creative freedom of the roaring sixties, as the story about the origins of its extravagant design nicely illustrates…
The original Crash was inspired by an oval Cartier Bagnoire Alongee watch that was recovered from the wrist of Cartier’s Vice president after a serious car accident. As a fire occurred after the crash, his watch was caught up in the flames and it literally melted on his wrist, taking the shape of Dali’s surrealistic limp dial. Jean-Jacques Cartier, then the head of Cartier London, found the shape of a watch to be hip and unusual, so he decided to reproduce it. This soon became one of the most popular of all Cartier’s models, a true collector’s watch, produced in strictly limited editions.
At the beginning, only the case of the Crash model was subjected to transformations, while it used a Jaeger-LeCoultre oval movement. Today, even the entire movement is crashed and twisted to sit within the concave form of the platinum case. The dial is completely skeletonized, and what is left behind is the silhouette of oversized Roman numerals (skeletonised bridges) that reveal the movement beneath. Visible on the dial side are also Cartier’s emblematic blued sword-shaped hands, while the case-back reveals the reverse side of the Calibre 9618 MC manual winding movement. The mechanism beats at 28.800 vibrations per hour and promises around 3 days of power reserve.
Another interesting thing about this model is that it features a slightly more curved profile than most of the Cartier’s watches, which means that the crystal on the dial-side is made from mineral glass, as sapphire can’t be curved this way. Cartier Crash Skeleton is mounted on a grey alligator leather strap with folding clasp.
Cartier Crash Skeleton will be issued in 67 pieces in platinum, each priced at 50,000 euros, or around US $63,000. The model will also be available in 67 pieces in diamond-set platinum, which are priced at 85,000 euros, or around US $107,000. More information about this model will be available after the SIHH 2015 exhibition in January 2015.
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