{"product_id":"cartier-cristallor-paris-or-jaune-ref-78095-mecanique-v-1970-facture-pochette-sav","title":"Cartier Cristallor \"Paris\" Yellow Gold, ref. 78095 - Manual - c. 1970 (invoice \u0026 service pouch)","description":"\u003cp data-end=\"437\" data-start=\"338\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(44, 78, 46);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGold cut like a crystal.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDescription\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eAn octagonal case with beveled edges and gadrooning all around: it is from this highly distinctive case that the Cristallor takes its name. The gold is not polished to shine uniformly; it is faceted to catch the light in places, just as a cut stone would. Few watches bear a name that explains exactly what they are so well.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe white dial leaves plenty of room for this design. Roman numerals, blued steel sword hands, and, at six o'clock, the \"Paris\" signature: one of the two dial variants delivered on this model, and the one that connoisseurs look for first. The indices are perfectly straight: they do not yet follow the curve of the case, as they would on subsequent examples. Cartier has confirmed what this detail signifies: this watch belongs to the early series of the Cristallor model.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe buckle is in 18k rose gold, while the watch case is in 18k yellow gold. This is neither a coincidence nor a replacement: it is the signature of this reference, distinguishing it from its big sister, the \"Jumbo,\" which features a yellow gold buckle.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThis piece returns from a full service performed at Cartier and is, therefore, accompanied by its invoice and service pouch.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow to wear it?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eWith its octagonal format, the Cristallor occupies the wrist without cluttering it. The faceted yellow gold plays with the light with every movement of the hand, giving it a presence that its dimensions do not suggest.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eIt is a mechanical, manual-winding watch: it requires you to dedicate a few seconds to it every morning. Françoise enjoys this moment of intimacy with her watch, and on a piece of such rarity, this daily gesture takes on a special meaning.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eIt can be worn just as well with jeans as for an evening out. It is a dress watch that does not seek to be noticed, and one that is never noticed the same way twice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy did Françoise choose it?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eBecause the Cristallor is a \"\u003cem\u003erare bird in the collector's watch market\u003c\/em\u003e.\" It is said to have been produced in fewer than a thousand examples across all variants. A figure that Cartier has never published and that we therefore cite with the necessary caution, but which corresponds to what we observe: one sees very few, and rarely in good condition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eWhat Françoise noted most of all is the age of this piece within its own lineage. The straight indices of its dial link it to the first series of the model, before Cartier curved them to follow the shape of the case.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHistory\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eCartier has always preferred shaped watches to round ones. The Tank, the Ceinture, the Cloche, the Tortue, the Baignoire... The Maison has spent a century designing cases that no one else would have dared, and that is undoubtedly what distinguishes it most clearly from Swiss manufacturers of its standing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe Cristallor belongs to this family. Marketed in the 1970s, it explores the concept of the faceted octagonal case, in both yellow and white gold. That decade was paradoxical for the Maison: it was the time when Cartier democratized itself with the launch of the Must collection, while simultaneously continuing to produce confidential solid gold pieces for a clientele of insiders.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eNever reissued and rarely discussed, the Cristallor has not achieved the posterity of the Tank or the Santos. This explains why it is seen so rarely, and why it is today one of the most discreetly sought-after models in the Cartier repertoire.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Françoise Paris","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54906308919619,"sku":"W0407","price":18000.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0634\/9570\/0732\/files\/Rectangle80.png?v=1791825607","url":"https:\/\/www.francoise.paris\/en\/products\/cartier-cristallor-paris-or-jaune-ref-78095-mecanique-v-1970-facture-pochette-sav","provider":"Françoise Paris","version":"1.0","type":"link"}