Cartier Crash

The mechanical twist of the Cartier Crash

The dissenter and languorous Cartier Crash is back in play. However, it has decided to “forget” its dial in the boxes and to strip to the bone to reveal the delicious curves of its heart.

By Louis Nardin
Journalist

The Crash likes to pretend it has been unceremoniously crushed to look like a candle flame. It likes teasing and flirts as it used to do in 1967, when it was born in the Cartier boutique in Swinging London. At the time, the English capital was a cultural laboratory where the art of the future was invented. Cartier is one step ahead of 2015 and has just introduced the skeleton version of the Crash, one of the novelties for the coming year. Of course, the case follows the same waves as the original but this time making its heart very visible.

Cartier Crash

Gentle twists

Its very name "Crash" demanded for the movement of this newcomer to be – if gently – twisted in order to adhere to the extravagant spirit of the collection. The head of the movements department, Carole Forestier-Kasapi, and her team have achieved this by modifying the 9611MC caliber from the 2009 Santos 100 to put it into a trance.

The pieces are the same, but they have been completely redistributed. This forced a recalculation of the exact position of each piece due to the limited space available.

The Roman numerals of  this neo rebel are directly cut on the one-piece upper bridge; an aesthetic configuration that has incidentally been patented by Cartier. In addition, the bridge is not flat but curved in order to follow the shape of the crystal, made of mineral glass – the best material to be bent spherically. The resulting new 138-component movement with manual winding has been called 9618MC and features a satin-finish face and bottom and chamfered corners.

Cartier Crash

A series of 67 pieces

The new Skeleton Crash has 10% more volume than its dressed alter egos. On the bottom, a sapphire glass allows appreciation of the technical work. The position of the workings relative to each other forms a second set of curves, quite in tune with the elastic spirit of the Crash.

The sour-candy Skeleton Crash has been transformed. Its personality has changed from a fun jewel-watch to a technical piece with character. A rebellious and modern lady, it is still valuable as its delusional case is crafted in platinum – priced at €50,000 – or in white gold with a diamond-set bezel – €85,000. Each version is limited to 67 copies to commemorate the year in which the original was created.

Cartier Crash

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