The Shapes of Cartier
Audemars Piguet | Cartier
Carré | Retailed by Cartier New York: A rare, fine and very slim platinum square wristwatch with a gold deployant buckle, Circa 1961
Session begins in
June 15, 02:00 PM GMT
Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Dial: white dial signed Cartier, stretched radial Roman numerals, inner chemin-de-fer minute track, pointed baton hands
Caliber: 9’’’ LeCoultre ébauche, cal. 2003 movement signed Audemars Piguet, damascened Côtes de Genève decoration, lever escapement, 17 jewels, annular balance with poising screws, adjusted to temperatures and four positions
Movement number: 80'528
Case: square platinum case with satin finish, curved chamfered edges, flat bezel, snap-on case back
Case number: outside case back numbered 19'923 and HSW 093, inside case back hand stamped 23 and signed Audemars Piguet, with Swiss Ibex assay mark for platinum and Poinçon de Maître key mark 1 for Wenger S.A.
Closure: 18k gold deployant buckle with D-shaped rhodiumed clasp signed Cartier and stamped [BC]
Size: 32 x 26 mm
Box: no
Papers: no
By the 1960s, Cartier had a long established relationship with Audemars Piguet and had retailed a number of different models by the company, including complication watches such as repeaters, calendars and chronographs. Audemars Piguet shared a similar design aesthetic to Cartier and were especially focused on the development of ultra-thin dress models. Like Cartier, Audemars Piguet also worked with LeCoultre for the supply of super-slim ébauches that could be used in dress watches.
The model shown here incorporates Audemars Piguet’s calibre 2003 which was developed by Maurice Audemars at LeCoultre in 1953. An extra slim movement, upon its release, it was the world’s thinnest manually wound movement. Measuring 20.8mm in diameter, its depth was a mere 1.64mm. A spectacular movement both in terms of its engineering and execution, by the late 1950s, the calibre 2003 was being incorporated into more than 75% of Audemars Piguet’s wristwatches. Indeed the movement was so successful that it would later form the basis of LeCoultre’s calibre 920, one of the most important automatic movements of the 20th century.
An extremely elegant dress watch, the platinum case, with its pleasing curved chamfers and broad flat bezel, was made by Wenger S.A., one of the finest and most highly regarded Swiss case makers of all time