
Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Cartier Must de Vendome
- Maker / attribution
- Cartier (maker)
- Date
- c. 1990s
- Historical period
- Mechanical Renaissance (1990 – 2010)
- Country of origin
- France
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Dimensions
- Case 24 mm
- Stock no.
- 40950285
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Analog/Shift (40950285)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Cartier Must de Vendome (English)
View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction
Record summary
Catalogued by Analog/Shift (dealer), New York (stock number 40950285), this is a wristwatch by Cartier, made in France, dated c. 1990s. The Atlas places it in the Mechanical Renaissance period (1990 – 2010) of its Wristwatches collection. Recorded dimensions: Case 24 mm. The record is illustrated with 6 photographs.
Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.
Catalogue description
Dealer description — Analog/Shift
No, it’s not a Tank. And yes, it deserves your attention! While Parisian jeweler to the stars, Cartier, may be best known in horological circles for its famed Tank watch, the French firm produced — and continues to produce — numerous other watch models that deserve equal billing for their unique and sumptuous designs. The Louis Cartier collection, announced by Cartier Paris in 1973, constituted a redesign of the maison’s watch offerings upon its launch. Fresh takes on classics such as the Tank and Santos Dumont were accompanied by new designs, including that of pieces like the Ellipse, the Tonneau, the Ceinture, and more. This particular piece, a Vendome model, dates to the circa 1990s and features a 24mm 18k yellow gold case with a sapphire cabochon winding crown, a glossy white Swiss-signed dial with printed Roman indices and a matching blued-steel 'sword' handset, and a quartz movement within. This particular piece also features a diamond set bezel for a bit of extra flair and diamond set t lugs conjoining the lizard strap to the case. Appropriate for any wrist, this particular example is in lovely condition with an exceptionally clean dial. Its slender stance on the wrist is as effortlessly comfortable as it is elegant. Perfection. Everyone knows the Tank. This is your chance to own its equally compelling sibling!
Historical context
Mechanical Renaissance (1990 – 2010)
Mechanical watches return as cultural objects; independent watchmaking flourishes.
Mechanical watches returned as cultural and luxury objects. Complications, tourbillons and new materials proliferated; independent watchmakers such as George Daniels, F.P. Journe and Philippe Dufour revived artisanal watchmaking; collecting vintage watches became a major field.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Quartz Revolution
Atlas type guide
Wristwatches
Bracelet watches were worn by women from the early nineteenth century — Breguet made one for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, in 1810–12 — but the wristwatch only became a man's instrument with military use and aviation in the early twentieth century. Between the World Wars it overtook the pocket watch; the 1920s and 1930s brought rectangular Art Deco cases, water-resistant cases and the first automatic winding systems.
After 1945 the wristwatch became a carrier of identity — dress watches, sports and dive watches, chronographs, calendars — produced by Swiss, American, Japanese, German, Soviet and Chinese industries. The quartz revolution after 1969 and the mechanical renaissance since the 1990s, including the rise of independent watchmakers, complete the story.
What to look for
- The reference number (between the lugs or inside the case back) and serial number, the starting point for dating.
- The calibre: its maker and number are often stamped under the dial or on the bridge.
- Originality of dial, hands and crown — refinished ('redial') dials are common.
- Case material marks: 18K/750, 14K/585, stainless steel, gold-filled, plated.
Dating clues
- Wire-lug cases: before c. 1925.
- Water-resistant screw-down cases: from 1926.
- Quartz movements: from 1969; sapphire crystals widespread after c. 1980.
General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.
Related records
Clocks · 1863
Clock by Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse, France, 1863
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Clocks · c. 1980s
Cartier "art Deco", c. 1980s
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Clocks · c. 2000s
Cartier Desk Clock with Alarm, c. 2000s
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Clocks · c. 2000s
Cartier Lacquer Arched Desk Clock with Alarm, ref. W0100037, c. 2000s
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Wristwatches · c. 1990
Cartier Pasha, ref. 2412, c. 1990
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Wristwatches · c. 1990
Cartier Santos Ronde Vendome, c. 1990
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Wristwatches · c. 1990s
Cartier Tank Louis Cartier, ref. 6711, c. 1990s
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Wristwatches · c. 1991
Cartier Tonneau Paris 1991, c. 1991
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
