It’s hard to know what the designers at Cartier London were thinking in the late 1960s when they came up with the Crash. While most brands were playing it safe with round cases and clean dials, Cartier, one of the best and most renowned luxury watch brands did the opposite. They made something that looked like it had melted or warped. And rather than fix it, they framed it in gold and called it art.
The Crash first appeared in 1967, not from a design committee at their headquarters, but from the brand’s London Branch, which at the time had a bit more creative freedom than the Paris branch.
Jean-Jacques Cartier was running the show, and his team was doing things a little differently, experimenting with designs that the Crash was a result of.
Plenty of stories float around about how the Crash came to be, the most popular being a man brought in a Cartier Baignoire Allongée that had been in a car crash, and the heat had deformed the case. Cartier took one look at the watch and sketches followed shortly after.
Another popular theory was the watch was inspired by the London art scene of the Swinging Sixties, in particular Salvador Dalí’s melting clocks in his famous painting “The persistence of Memory”. Whilst more likely, its’ never been confirmed what the main theory behind the watch actually was.
They’re both good stories, but unfortunately that’s all they are, and there is no solid proof that it’s actually how the watch was created. Frencesca Cartier Brickell, a descendant of the family and one of the better-known voices on Cartier’s history, has said that the story’s more a myth than fact. The real explanation is much simpler, the design was intentional. A bit of a rebellious play on form at a time when London’s style was reducing its conformity to traditions.
L: Jean-Jacques Cartier, R: Cartier’s Bond Street Townhouse
L: Cartier Crash, R: “The Persistence of Memory” Surrealist painting created by Salvador Dalí in 1931.
There’s a charm to how weird the Crash is, with the case crooked, Roman numerals skewed and hands that look like they’re trying to escape the dial. But it wasn’t always beloved, as it didn’t get much attention for a long time. After its initial release in ‘67, Cartier didn’t do much with it.
Then in 1991, they revived the Crash with a small run out of Paris. Around 400 pieces were made, and the team tweaked the dimensions slightly, changed the movement, but kept the general shape. Those original pieces that are still floating around can fetch a serious amount at auctions, over six figures depending on the condition.
In 2013, Cartier released a skeletonised Crash with an in-house movement. They followed that with another ultra-limited edition in 2019, just 15 pieces made in London, sold to a select few. Not that they needed to market it. By then, the Crash had become a status symbol in certain circles.
Tyler, The Creator owns one. So does Jay-Z. Kanye West wore one in Paris. That kind of attention tends to change a watch’s fate.
What’s interesting is that the watch isn’t flashy, as you won’t find one dripping in diamonds or looking overly complex. It’s also quite small by today’s standards, dimensioned at 38.5mm x 22.5mm.
Cartier never pushed the Crash aggressively. They didn’t turn it into a series with dozens of versions, instead maintaining a rarity that ultimately led to its absurd popularity. Even today you can’t walk into a boutique and try one on, you have to know the right people to get into its inner circle. The ultimate flex for any watch collection.
