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Cartier Pasha Diver, c. late 1990s

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Cartier (maker)
Date
c. late 1990s
Country of origin
France
Object type
Wristwatch
Dimensions
Case 35.5 mm
Stock no.
40950042
Credit line
Dealer listing, Analog/Shift (40950042)
Catalogue title (original)
Cartier Pasha Diver (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by Analog/Shift (dealer), New York (stock number 40950042), this is a wristwatch by Cartier, made in France, dated c. late 1990s. The Atlas places it in the Mechanical Renaissance period (1990 – 2010) of its Wristwatches collection. Recorded dimensions: Case 35.5 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

There’s nothing like a compelling origin story. That of the Pasha is one such tale! 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 Pasha is a fine example. Launched in 1985, it was supposedly inspired by the lines of a one-off commission from 1932 for the Pasha of Marrakesh that featured a screw-down, waterproof housing over the crown. None other than famed watch designer Gérald Genta was the one who revived the design in the 1980s, launching yet another winning collection for the famed Parisian jeweler and watchmaker. This particular Pasha, a diver variant, dates to circa the late 1990s and features a 35.5mm stainless steel case with a sapphire crystal, a sapphire cabochon crown protector, a unidirectional stainless steel timing bezel, and a satin white dial with applied Tritium and baton indices with a matching kite handset. Powered by an automatic-winding movement, it comes paired to a stainless steel multi-link bracelet with a signed hidden deployant clasp. Everyone knows the Tank. This is your chance to own its equally compelling sibling — with an awesome sporting twist on it!

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

Dive and water-resistant watches

Keeping water and dust out of a wristwatch was a long-standing challenge. Rolex's screw-down Oyster case (1926) and Omega's Marine (1932) were landmarks; in the early 1950s Blancpain's Fifty Fathoms and Rolex's Submariner defined the professional dive watch with rotating bezels for timing dives, luminous dials and high water resistance. The ISO 6425 standard (1982) later codified what a 'diver's watch' must do.

Dive watches became icons of post-war design and exploration, and their evolution — helium escape valves, ceramic bezels, saturation-diving depth ratings — records the history of underwater work.

What to look for

  • Unidirectional or bidirectional rotating bezel with minute markings.
  • Screw-down crown and case back; depth rating printed on the dial.
  • Luminous hands and markers (radium before c. 1960, tritium c. 1960–1998, then Super-LumiNova).
  • Reference numbers on the case between the lugs or inside the back.

Dating clues

  • Screw-down Oyster cases: from 1926.
  • Professional dive watches: from 1953.
  • Tritium 'T' marks on dials: c. 1960–1998.

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.

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