In the realm of watchmaking, that of the very highest levels, there are timepieces so rare that they are spoken of in hushed tones. Sometimes, like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat, a piece pops out of nowhere. It’s as if a supreme force intervened to keep that spell alive and offer us an unexpected gift.

I have known the story I am about to tell you for a while but for various reasons I was asked to keep it to myself. Now that I have the green light I can tell you about it.

What you see in this article is the fifth Cartier Replica Cheich in white gold (up until now it was thought that only four had been made), a unique example that almost no one knew about.

History Cartier Cheich

In the 1980s Alain Dominique Perrin, then CEO of Cartier, and Thierry Sabine, the person who invented the rally for two and four wheels once called Paris Dakar, established the Cartier Challenge, a competition within the competition. To win this trophy a runner had to finish first two consecutive years in a race that takes place predominantly in the desert. The prize consisted of a Cartier Cheich watch.

The Cheich is one of the most iconic watches Cartier has ever built. As demonstrated several years earlier with the Crash model, the Parisian Maison has always stood out in creating unique and very creative shaped cases.

The Cheich one is inspired by the traditional Tagelmust cotton scarf, also known as “cheich”, worn by Tuareg men in the Sahara desert to protect themselves from the sun and also the logo of the first editions of the Paris Dakar. The watch shows a woven cloth of three different gold alloys: white, yellow and pink fused together. It was produced in two sizes, with or without diamonds set, to be awarded to both male and female race winners.

After the announcement of the Cartier Challenge, former motocross champion Gaston Rahier riding a BMW motorcycle won the first two races in a row, becoming the first and only owner of a Cartier Cheich watch in 1984, as unfortunately that challenge was short-lived . In 1986 Sabine died in a helicopter crash and Perrin withdrew the award.

Until today it was thought that only four examples had been built, each slightly different from the other. Rahier’s Cheich sold at a 2022 Sotheby’s auction for over one million euros.

The Fifth Cartier Cheich White Gold

To recap, the four Cartier Cheichs known so far, despite being different in size and other details, have in common a case with a tone similar to yellow gold generated by the fusion of the yellow, pink and white precious metal. So what does this example in white gold have to do with it?

The Cartier Cheich in white gold that came out in recent days is an unparalleled masterpiece as well as the fifth. According to what The Watch Boutique claims, the international luxury watch store also based in Milan in Brera that owns it, this timepiece was created by Cartier in 2010 exclusively for Giorgio Seragnoli.

Those who know the history of the brand well will know that Seragnoli was one of the greatest collectors of white metal Cartiers in the world. Together with Osvaldo Patrizzi he was the co-author of the book White Cartier Bianco which meticulously describes 255 pieces from his collection with steel, white gold and platinum cases.

The fifth Cartier Cheich that has now appeared, which he had commissioned from Cartie, is not illustrated in the book as it was published in 2006, while as already mentioned the watch was produced in 2010.

This Cheich with a white gold case has “N° 1” engraved on the case back. That writing is a bit cryptic but I understand why since Cartier, at the time it built it, did not put in black and white that it was a unique piece, perhaps leaving a glimmer of hope for the future.

However, for now, consistent with her declarations of not making any more, it seems that whoever asked her for another specimen had to receive a solid no. However, it is clear that if on the one hand they are all very rare and particular watches, the one in white gold is truly unique.

Opinions

The Cheichs were born in the quartz era, but as proof of how Cartier has always considered them something that did not have to conform to any rules, the former Seragnoli white gold model is animated by a quartz movement while the one that became a millionaire which belonged to Gaston Rahier features a mechanical movement.

Per concludere il quinto Cheich, che ha un quadrante leggermente diverso e più simile all’esemplare custodito nel museo del marchio, è davvero super speciale e non solo per la storia che c’è dietro. Con lui forse l’abilità di Cartier nell’elaborare casse dalle forma inusuali ha (per ora) toccato il livello più alto. Questa è la ragione per cui tutti gli abbienti collezionisti del pianeta lo cercano e il suo valore è schizzato alle stelle. Chissà quando questo sarà venduto che cifra toccherà…