Cartier Vintage Comes to Singapore

Says the wonderfully warm and effusive Pierre Rainero, Cartier’s heritage director, “It has always been part of Cartier’s philosophy to purchase back iconic pieces of jewellery and timepieces from our customers, refurbish them completely and offer them to new clients in a programme we call Cartier Tradition… The prices of these pieces are always in alignment with the equivalent contemporary watch.”

The power of that statement is irrefutable. Because what Rainero is saying is that while the entire watch industry loves to use the marketing message that the watches they create not only endure perennially but will hold their value forever, at Cartier, that is indeed the reality. So much so that Cartier will source, restore and offer their own vintage watches for sale to customers. As a statement of respect for their own creations, as a statement of absolute belief in the appreciable value of their own watches, and as an expression of the strength of Cartier’s brand equity, it is unparalleled.

Cartier Vintage is a genius move for several reasons. First, it serves to communicate the soaring prices of vintage Cartier watches. My friend, renowned author Nick Foulkes, who purchased his Cartier London Crash for a few thousand pounds several decades ago, now finds himself in the enviable position of wearing a quarter-million-dollar asset on his wrist. He states, “It’s wonderful to see the vintage and auction market now recognising the tremendous value of Cartier watches. This brand is the greatest contributor to design and style in men’s wristwatches in the last century. The downside is that I now have to leave my Crash in a safe deposit box because it’s worth so much money.”

Cartier Vintage serves to quietly state that, in an age where everyone is looking for appreciable assets, Cartier watches, especially the more rare pieces, can be very, very sound investments. Just ask anyone lucky enough to be allocated a London Boutique Cartier Crash as his watch is, at current market value, worth double what he paid for it. Second, Cartier Vintage also enables customers in the three boutiques where it is available — London, Paris and now Singapore — to purchase a watch with total confidence in its integrity and patrimony. Says Rainero, “We focus only on mechanical watches. We will do a total restoration, which means examining and refurbishing every component so that the watch is like new. With this watch, you will get the same guarantee as you would with a new piece, and you will have a complete history of every step in the restoration process.”

But what exactly is the now two-year-old Cartier Vintage programme, and how is it distinct from the aforementioned Cartier Tradition? Says Rainero, “Cartier Vintage focuses on watches from the early 1970s to the early 2010s. These are the age parameters we’ve started off with, but they are fluid and may shift later. We started with the early 1970s because this marks a very important transition for Cartier regarding our watches. Before this, Cartier watches were only sold at Cartier boutiques, but in the 1970s, we began to sell watches in multibrand retailers. We even created lines such as the Vermeil-cased Les Must de Cartier watches specifically for this. [The fabulously successful Santos launched in 1978 was also created for this reason.] The early 2010s were selected as the endpoint because it was around this time that we made some extraordinary timepieces under the Collection Privée Cartier Paris (CPCP) range, where we worked on our iconic shapes coupled with mechanical and even complicated movements. We started Cartier Vintage two years ago at our London flagship on New Bond Street to celebrate its renovation. We then launched it at our Paris boutique on Faubourg Saint-Honoré. And now we are unveiling it at our Singapore flagship at ION Orchard. ”

But, of course, this begs the question of why Cartier have selected Singapore. Says Cécile Naour, Cartier’s regional managing director of Southeast Asia and Oceania, “We recognise Singapore as being one of the most important countries in the world for watch connoisseurs. The level of sophistication there in terms of the collector culture and the specialist press is one of the highest, and so we thought this would be the perfect destination. We are delighted to be the third destination in the world for Cartier Vintage.”

One other reason for Cartier Vintage’s strategic positioning in Singapore might have to do with the city-state’s status as a window on taste in China. Says Austen Chu, a Chinese watch influencer known as @horoloupe on Instagram, and the founder of online watch retail platform WristCheck, “Traditionally, there is no culture for pre-owned or vintage watches in China, as there are certain predispositions about objects that are perceived to be old. However, what is clear is that the newer generation of affluent Chinese are starting to understand the appeal of vintage. At the same time, they are afraid of being sold something fake or modified, so when a brand like Cartier curates its own vintage watches, it gives the Chinese customer the perfect reassurance.”

Cartier Vintage Preview

At the moment, Cartier Vintage is something the maison prefers to keep rare. In total, there are just 24 Cartier Vintage timepieces at the three flagships, and each has been meticulously selected. The watches that are showcased in the Singapore Cartier boutique are the following: a Collection Louis Cartier Square Incurvée in yellow gold from 1976, a stunning slim watch with an unusual bassin caseback to make room for the movement, and an Atelier MCHP (Manufacture Cartier d’Horlogerie Paris) Tonneau watch dating from 1985 that is an example of the pure serene elegance of Cartier. Personally, I feel that the barrel-shaped Tonneau models are poised to stage a huge comeback in relevance and value, not just in the vintage world, but hopefully also in the modern watch scene.

Collection Louis Cartier: Square Incurvée

Square curved watch, large model, hand-wound mechanical movement, yellow gold, leather (1976)
Movement: ETA 078
Characteristic: Manual winding
Dimensions: 17.5mm by 2.9mm
Power reserve: 38 hours
Frequency: 21,600 alt./hour
Number of jewels: 17

Atelier de Paris MCHP (Manufacture Cartier Horlogerie Paris): Tonneau

Tonneau watch, small model, manufacture mechanical movement with manual winding, yellow gold, leather (1985)
Movement: ETA 078
Characteristic: Manual winding
Dimensions: 17.5mm by 2.9mm
Power reserve: 40 hours
Frequency: 21,600 alt./hour
Number of jewels: 17

There is also a CPCP Tank à Vis from 2002. “À vis” literally means screw and refers to the visible screws seen on the watch. This model is inspired by the famous Tank Étanche or waterproof Tank. The Tank à Vis differs from the Tank Étanche in that it has more rounded sides, a more square profile and the addition of the visible screws. The Tank à Vis was made from 2001 to 2005.

Collection Privée Cartier Paris (CPCP): Tank à Vis Dual Time Zone

Tank à Vis watch, large model, hand-wound mechanical movement, yellow gold, leather (2002)
Movement: 9901 MC
Characteristic: Manual winding
Dimensions: 26mm by 20.3mm
Power reserve: 38 hours
Frequency: 21,600 alt./hour
Number of jewels: 18

One of the stars of Cartier Vintage is the stunning CPCP Tortue Minute Repeater from 2003. I am old enough to remember the launch of this watch and was presented the piece by my friend, the brilliant Carol Forestier, who worked on the movement with Renaud & Papi. What is lovely here is that the movement is oval-shaped and perfectly echoes the lines of the case. I think, as with the stunning skeleton version of the Tank Asymétrique last year which incorporates the indexes of the watch into its baseplate, Cartier is at its best when its technical values serve its aesthetic goals, which is certainly the case here.

Collection Privée Cartier Paris (CPCP): Tortue Minute Repeater

Tortue watch, large model, hand-wound mechanical movement, yellow gold, leather (2003)
Movement: 9401 MC
Characteristic: Manual winding
Power reserve: 42 hours
Frequency: 21,600 alt./hour
Number of jewels: 34

Probably my favourite watch at Cartier Vintage is the stunning CPCP Tonneau Dual Time XL watch from 2005 which features two tiny mechanical movements that can be independently set. There are also quartz versions of this watch, but the key here is that Cartier Vintage only focuses on mechanical watches and this one is in magnificent restored condition. I should point out that at the asking price which is in the mid-30-thousand-Singapore-dollar range, the watch is actually good value as it is not that much off the market price for this timepiece, and the slight premium is more than justified by the warranty and patrimony and the assurance that these provide.

Collection Privée Cartier Paris (CPCP): Tonneau Dual Time Zone

Tonneau watch, extra-large model, hand-wound mechanical movement, pink gold, leather (2005)
Movement: 9770 MC
Characteristic: Manual winding
Dimensions: 15.33mm by 2.9mm
Power reserve: 38 hours
Frequency: 21,600 alt./hour
Number of jewels: 18

Lastly, there is, of course a Pasha, a legendary high complication called the Pasha de Cartier Golf from 1993 which allows you to keep track of golf scores for up to four players. As this stunning watch is full yellow gold (all sourced from the same ingot) I can only imagine you would make quite the spectacle on the links should you go this route. The watch bracelet is, however, sized slightly on the small side, and as such, this watch would also be perfect for a woman.

Pasha High Complication Collection: Pasha de Cartier Golf

Pasha de Cartier golf watch, 38 mm, manufacture mechanical movement with automatic winding, yellow gold, leather (1993)
Movement: 889 Jaeger
Characteristic: Automatic winding
Dimensions: 26mm by 4.1mm
Power reserve: 40 hours
Frequency: 19,800 alt./hour
Number of jewels: 34

In conclusion, Cartier Vintage serves both to elevate the Singapore watch scene and to create a brilliant communication platform for the enduring value of Cartier watches, and finally, it provides the perfect solution for vintage-curious customers who can be reassured by the fact that their watch has been perfectly restored by this amazing maison.

More information: cartier.sg

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