Cartier 18k Manual Wind EWC Movement 18k YG
Famously split into three distinct houses, one in London, NYC and Paris, Cartier was once controlled by a trio of brothers, grandsons to Louis Cartier himself, whom each earned names for themselves for a variety of creations that built Cartier’s renown with the rich and wealthy. Since then, the brand has been rejoined into one, but still Cartier’s creations still remind us of that unusual period of Cartier’s history when it was effectively three different companies, with this rare Calatrava-style watch being exactly that. Made by European Watch Company (EWC & Co.), a venture between Cartier and Edmund Jaeger, of Jaeger-LeCoultre, dating back to the 1920s, this timepiece celebrates the dress watch designs that were prevalent throughout the 1940s and 1950s with a traditionalist 33.5mm 18kt yellow gold round case that houses a silver dial with dagger-shaped applied indices and a set of dauphine hands that cap off what is an understated dress watch designed to pay homage to the style of watch that the Patek Philippe Calatrava popularized, a rare move from Cartier to celebrate someone else’s design rather than one of their own, of which they have many. However, unlike many dress watches from the time, it does feature a screw-down caseback, a subtle distinction that perhaps points to Cartier breaking from the typical mold for the time.
THE DIAL Boasting an understated silver dial without any of Cartier's typical design details, this Calatrava-style dress watch perfectly matches the overall aesthetics of its time with its dauphine hands and applied dagger-shaped hour markers.
THE CONSTRUCTION Boasting a perfectly round 33.5mm 18kt yellow gold construction, this "Calatrava" wears exactly like a dress watch from its era with long curvy lugs and a nicely domed hesalite crystal, which adds to its mid-century allure.
TIMING MACHINE READOUT This reading was taken (crown down) with a ONEOF Accuracy Boutique Edition timing machine at time of cataloging. It is provided as a courtesy only, and shall not be construed as a warranty or guarantee of any kind. Please refer to our terms and conditions of sale for more information.
