The Rare Cartier Cheich Watch

Photo: Fratello watches

At last, a new owner has been found for the Cartier Cheich timepiece that sparked the Internet in July. Being the most valuable Cartier piece ever auctioned off in Europe, this ultra-unique watch fetched $1.1 million in an online sale. Sotheby’s eventually sold this for 1.1 million USD following days of back-and-forth bids. It was valued between €200,000 – €400,000 (approximately $196,000 – $392,000 at today’s exchange rate).

Only twice have Cartier timepieces reached the coveted seven-figure line at the sale, the first being a Cartier Crash that fetched 1.5 million USD in May. This auction, which came shortly following last spring’s landmark, suggests that the French business, more renowned for its jewels, is gaining the attention of the globe’s most sophisticated (and wealthy) horological enthusiasts. Moreover, it is an intriguing sign of what may be in hand for its most valuable variants.

Cartier Cheich, an extremely rare one-of-four timepiece, will be sold off this fall. This priceless watch was given to Belgian motorcycle racing champion Gaston Rahier for conquering the 1985 Paris-Dakar Rally. The arduous event, which required competitors to travel 6,200 miles across the Sahara Desert from France through Senegal, began in 1979. The wristwatch was created in 1983 as a magnificent reward for victors of the Cartier Challenge racers. This contest challenged competitors to finish the Paris-Dakar Rally for two consecutive years in a similar racing division.

Sothesby´s

Theirry Sabine, the tournament’s creator, and Alain Dominique Perrin, who was then the COE of Cartier, worked together to create the high-stakes competition. Rahier, the 125cc motocross worldwide winner, stunned everyone by winning the 1984 and 1985 races soon after the contest was set. In September, over 4 decades after the creation of the driver’s Cartier Cheich, Sotheby’s conducted its first sale of the piece in Paris.

Jacques Diltoer built the timepiece’s casing to resemble the race’s insignia. This logo features the face of the Tuareg nomad sporting a Cheich (which means chèche in French) in silhouette. The customary fabric cover was used to shield the forehead from the sun. However, Cartier could not use bars bolted through the lugs to fasten its straps due to the distinctive dial form. Rather, a device that secures the straps in position is built into the rear of the main casing.

During the period, the prize for winning the rally was usually a more conventional wristwatch featuring an inscription on the back. On the dial edge of this limited production, the casing did, however, commemorate the event. In small change from the traditional Cartier Tank design, a rectangle chemin de fer (French term iron route or rail track) indicates the minutes, whereas sword indexes and 4 Roman markers fill the watch surface. 

Cartier Cheich is among the rare watch variants from the Swiss designer to display the “Trois Ors” (trinity of gold) adorning a number of the house’s jewels. Yellow, white, and rose gold were used to create the casing, representing friendship, affection, and integrity.

In 1986, the Cartier Challenge eventually came to an end. The watch was produced in two more variations for probable victors, and Perrin presented Sabine with the fourth. Sotheby’s, thus, speculates that the timepiece may have ended up in possession of renowned French motorcycle racer Hubert Auriol. However, it is regarded to be lost until its location is verified.

Photo: Hodinkee

According to Benoît Colson, a worldwide watch expert at Sotheby’s, the industry has been anxiously awaiting the watch’s debut at the auction house. This is because it is a real horological work of art linked to the victory and agony of the illustrious Cartier Challenge. 

Furthermore, nothing precisely like it will ever be produced afterward. Besides, its current reappearance from the household of the true champion who received it as a holy grail is the goal of any devoted watch enthusiast.

Final Thoughts 

What timepiece aficionados passionately refer to as ‘the life’ an item has lived usually helps to increase a watch’s worth. Indeed, this piece does tell a truly amazing tale.

Photo: Forbes

In addition, the Cheich is a genuinely distinctive watch. Even the 3 other versions don’t have the same dial layout. This, thus, makes it among the coolest timepieces ever created, and, unfortunately, there are only a few of them.