The Crash You Didn’t Think Ever Happened — The Ultra-Rare Cartier Crash Skeleton Extra Large Limited Edition In Platinum
Have you ever seen a Crash live? If you have, you will agree with me that this very peculiar Cartier creation is something special. Do you know what’s even more special than “any old” Cartier Crash? A skeletonized Cartier Crash Skeleton Extra Large limited edition in platinum, that’s what. Only 10 were made in 2017 in honor of a special exhibition on Cartier watchmaking. World-famous architect Norman Foster curated 170 exhibits for the “Cartier in Motion” showcase at the Design Museum London. The creation of a special, skeletonized Crash in platinum seemed both celebratory and appropriate in many ways. The skeletonized look does have some architectural qualities, for instance, and the city of London also fits the Crash perfectly. It was, as you might know, in London where the original Crash “happened.” Now number 07/10 of this special edition has come up for sale.
The 2017 Cartier Crash Skeleton Extra Large ref. 3740 (WHCH0007) in platinum — the red cabochon-cut ruby is a tell-tale sign this is a platinum Cartier watch — was an under-the-radar, exclusive release. This special-order model was never publicly available and was only offered to carefully selected top clients of Cartier London. The link with architect Norman Foster shows in the skeletonized movement that, due to the “melted” shape of the case, makes the Roman numerals look organic.
The ultra-rare and mysterious Cartier Crash Skeleton Extra Large limited edition in platinum
The link between London and the Cartier Crash Skeleton Extra Large is very strong, as it should be. The original Crash stems from 1967 and was a Cartier London creation. The watch with “London” on the dial was reputedly inspired by a watch that got severely damaged in a car crash. But that story is most likely entertaining watch mythology. It’s more plausible that the inspired craftspeople at Cartier London got funky and creative.
A skeletonized version of a platinum Crash debuted in 2014. The Cartier Crash Calibre 9618 MC came in a 28 × 45mm case in lavishly polished platinum. The cabochon-cut sapphire might lead you to believe that it is a white gold watch because, nowadays, a red ruby signals a case made of platinum. The highlight of the watch might very well be the shaped 9618 MC movement inside. The bridges of the 9618 MC, which double as Roman numerals on the dial, display intricate chamfering that looks subtly spectacular. The watch is slim with its 9.2mm thickness, which is partially thanks to the hand-wound movement that’s just 3.85mm thick. Cartier crafted just 67 pieces of the Crash Calibre 9618 MC. And last year, one of those rare Crashes sold for no less than US$279,000 at a Phillips auction.
In 2016, a rose gold version came out. You can still find this Mechanical Legends Crash Skeleton (WHCH0006) on the French Cartier website, by the way, which shows a price of €83,500. However, the pictures are gone, and the website also says, “Please contact us for more information about this creation,” so it’s probably not readily available. And that makes sense. A Crash doesn’t just happen casually and regularly.
More Crashes in recent years
The Cartier Crash Skeleton Extra Large you see here was made three years after the Crash Calibre 9618 MC. It was also created one year before the two Bond Street Crash models that Cartier launched when it opened its new Bond Street boutique, the only place you could acquire one. The Crash reissue in yellow gold (WGCH0006) had a limited production run of one piece per month and a price of €27,000. There was also a diamond-set Crash (WJCH0007), a limited edition of just 15 watches for €65,000 each.
But although the two 2018 Crashes were limited editions, we still learned about them. One year earlier, the release of the Cartier Crash Skeleton Extra Large was very much a hush-hush operation. It was so secretive that when the watch surfaced at The Watch Barn by Chrono24, the experts there had to verify with Cartier if they were dealing with the real deal. It turned out that the watch was indeed real…and rare. The Crash in the pictures is in excellent condition and comes with its box and papers. Furthermore, its owner was a real James Bond fan who picked number 07/10 when he had the chance in 2017. Apart from the cabochon-cut ruby in the crown, this 2017 version of the skeletonized Crash also shows some small blue sapphires encircling it.
Do you want to be involved in this Crash?
Now, the question is: do you want to be involved in this Crash? The ultra-rare platinum Cartier Crash Skeleton Extra Large limited edition that only a few people knew existed, I mean. Please use the ~US$280K auction price of its 2014 predecessor as a marker to see if it is within budget. And if you are interested, head over to The Watch Barn by Chrono24 and find out about the asking price and if it’s (still) available.
