Vintage Cartier CPCP (Collection Privée Cartier Paris) watches have become increasingly sought-after over the past 3 to 5 years, with many people now appreciating the finer dress watches that Cartier made and the quality of them, according to Toby Sutton, co-founder of London-based auctioneer Watches of Knightsbridge.
Interest is particularly strong for watches made by Cartier London, which operated independently from Cartier Paris and Cartier New York before being incorporated into one company and purchased by Richemont Group.
“Cartier London made some wonderful and unique watches from their London workshop [from the 1950s to 1970s] in very few numbers, including the infamous Crash model, along with the Pebble and the Octagonal that we just sold,” Mr Sutton describes.
The Cartier Octagonal Mr Sutton refers to is a c.1976 piece that sold for £120,192 this week, four times higher than its pre-auction estimate.
“This is a world record price for this particular model and really shows how the interest and collectability has grown for vintage Cartier watches in recent years,” Mr Sutton continues.
Philips Geneva Watch Auction XIII also set a record for the sale of a Cartier London Pebble Baseball earlier this month with a hammer price of CHF 403,000 (£318,000).
Only six of the 18ct gold Pebble are thought to have been made.
