Famously split into three distinct houses, one in London, NYC and Paris, Cartier was once controlled by a trio of brothers, grandsons to Louis Cartier himself, whom each earned names for themselves for a variety of creations that built Cartier’s renown with the rich and wealthy. Since then, the brand has been rejoined into one, but still Cartier’s creations still remind us of that unusual period of Cartier’s history when it was effectively three different companies, with this rare Calatrava-style watch being exactly that. Made by European Watch Company (EWC & Co.), a venture between Cartier and Edmund Jaeger, of Jaeger-LeCoultre, dating back to the 1920s, this timepiece celebrates the dress watch designs that were prevalent throughout the 1940s and 1950s with a traditionalist 33.5mm 18kt yellow gold round case that houses a silver dial with dagger-shaped applied indices and a set of dauphine hands that cap off what is an understated dress watch designed to pay homage to the style of watch that the Patek Philippe Calatrava popularized, a rare move from Cartier to celebrate someone else’s design rather than one of their own, of which they have many. However, unlike many dress watches from the time, it does feature a screw-down caseback, a subtle distinction that perhaps points to Cartier breaking from the typical mold for the time.

Watch is in very good overall condition. Case shows moderate wear with soft lugs and some surface oxidation. The Cartier signed was refinished at some point, and there is some blotchiness to the minute track. The caseback has a Cartier stock number beneath the serial number. Movement and caseback are signed EWC. Watch comes on a generic strap and a Cartier style plated buckle.

Please Note: Due to CITES considerations, if the watch is to be shipped outside of the USA, the exotic skin strap will have to be removed.

Celebrating the design aesthetics of its time, this relatively rare EWC-made Cartier "Calatrava" celebrates the design aesthetics of its time and serves as a reminder of a rather unusual part of Cartier's history when the three houses were split.