The Shapes of Cartier
Cartier, Paris
Obus | A yellow gold square wristwatch with bullet-form lugs and yellow and pink gold deployant buckle, Circa 1928
Auction Closed
June 15, 08:08 PM GMT
Estimate
15,000 - 20,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Dial: cream dial signed Cartier France, black stretched radial Roman numerals, inner chemin-de-fer minute ring, blued steel Breguet hands
Caliber: later 9¼’’’ circular LeCoultre movement signed European Watch and Clock Co. Inc., damascened Côtes de Genève decoration, lever escapement, 15 jewels, bi-metallic compensation balance with timing and poising screws, 3 adjustments, Breguet hairspring
Movement number: numbered to backplate 403'249
Case: 18k yellow gold square case, chamfered bezel, bullet-form lugs, gold screw-set bar lugs, beaded winding crown, inside case back signed European Watch and Clock Co Inc, France, numbered 10, outside case back with French eagle’s head assay mark and rubbed Edmond Jaeger punch mark
Case number: outside case back hand stamped 19'892, 28'884 (rubbed)
Closure: 18k yellow and pink gold deployant buckle hand stamped 6'998 and with French eagle’s head assay mark and Edmond Jaeger punch mark
Size: 30 x 23 mm
Accessories: none
Jader Barracca, Giampiero Negretti, Franco Nencini, Le Temps de Cartier, Milan: Publiprom, Second Edition, 1993. See p. 126 for an archival image of an Obus with subsidiary seconds.
The Obus takes its name from the French word for “shell” and was, according to legend, inspired by the shape of artillery shells. Introduced in 1923, the model features distinctive rounded, bullet shaped lugs that elegantly integrate the wrist strap with the watch case.
As one of the earliest examples of “fancy” lugs in wristwatch design, the Obus has remained a popular model over the decades. Its periodic re-releases reflect subtle adaptations to contemporary tastes while preserving its core design elements. The European Watch and Clock Co. movement is a later service replacement which dates to circa 1945-46.