How much will a dealer pay for a Calandre?

Dealers buying to resell usually bid about 75 to 85% of public market value, because they carry the cost and risk of the resale. For a 18 mm 18k gold quartz Calandre at the recent median of $4,100, that suggests bids of roughly $3,050 to $3,500. Archiva is opening a panel of specialist dealers who bid blind, with the seller keeping the whole winning bid.

What is the Cartier Calandre?

A small Cartier ladies' wristwatch with an arch-shaped 18k gold case and an upright top lug, a form Monaco Legend and Analog/Shift both compare to a stirrup. The documented Ref. 6603 is about 18 mm wide on the quartz Cal. 157, with a white or silvered dial, black Roman numerals and blued steel sword hands. Dated examples run from 1985 into the 1990s.

Is the Calandre a Cloche?

No, though it is often listed as one. Monaco Legend writes that the Calandre is often confused with the Cloche or the Etrier, and that it is wrongly called La Cloche. The Cloche is a bell-shaped case from the 1920s, revived as a hand-wound limited edition in the 1990s; the Calandre is a quartz ladies' watch shaped like a stirrup, with an arched case and an upright top lug.

What sizes was the Calandre made in?

The Ref. 6603 is about 18 mm wide; catalogs give its length as 20 mm or 26 mm. Monaco Legend has also offered a larger yellow gold Calandre of 22 × 29 mm on quartz cal. 81, with case number 810820302 and no reference printed, so Archiva has not yet given it a page.

When was the Calandre made?

The earliest dated example is a Ref. 6603 sold by Monaco Legend with a Cartier guarantee dated 25 September 1985. Bonhams has offered one bought in 1987, and Smith & Singer and Antiquorum date others to about 1990 and the 1990s. No source opened gives a launch year or the end of production.

What do Italian collectors call the Calandre?

Staffa, according to Monaco Legend, which describes the Calandre's shape as reminiscent of a stirrup.

Cartier

Calandre

A small ladies' gold watch shaped like a stirrup, with an arched case and an upright top lug, made on quartz from the 1980s.

What's it worth?View references Collector's Corner

History

A Stirrup on the Wrist

The Calandre is a small Cartier ladies' watch built around one shape: an arched gold case under an upright top lug, which Monaco Legend writes reminds the eye of a stirrup. Analog/Shift calls its case equestrian-inspired, and Monaco Legend adds that Italian collectors call it the Staffa.

Monaco Legend also writes that the Calandre is rarely encountered and often confused with the Cloche or the Etrier, and that it is wrongly called La Cloche. The confusion is understandable: both are compact, curved Cartier shapes. The Cloche is a bell-shaped case with roots in the 1920s, while the Calandre is a quartz watch of the 1980s and 1990s with an arch and a single upright lug.

The Ref. 6603

The documented small Calandre is the Ref. 6603, an 18k gold case about 18 mm wide. Monaco Legend and Bonhams both record the Cartier quartz Cal. 157 with 4 jewels inside it. The dial is white or silvered with black Roman numerals, a chemin de fer minute track and blued steel sword hands, and the crown carries a cabochon.

Cartier made it plain and set with diamonds: on the upper lug alone, on the lug and crown, across the case, or on the bezel and lugs with a mother-of-pearl dial. It left Cartier on 18k gold bracelets, including a multi-link mesh with a signed deployant clasp, or on leather with an 18k gold folding clasp.

Dates

The earliest dated Calandre in the sources is a 6603 that Monaco Legend sold with a Cartier guarantee dated 25 September 1985. Bonhams has offered one bought in February 1987, Pescheteau-Badin dates another to the 1980s, and Smith & Singer and Antiquorum date diamond-set examples to about 1990 and the 1990s. No source opened gives a launch year or says when production ended.

A Larger Calandre

Monaco Legend has also offered a larger yellow gold Calandre, 22 × 29 mm on quartz cal. 81, on a leather strap and dated to the 1990s. It carries case number 810820302 and no printed reference, so its reference is not yet documented.

The Calandre Today

The Calandre turns up rarely and often under the wrong name. For a buyer, that means reading the case number, checking the shape against the Cloche, and looking closely at the diamonds, the dial and the bracelet, which together set one Calandre apart from another.

Quintessential Reference

Ref. 6603 · c. 1985–1990s

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Reference: 6603; Ladies' arch-shaped case, 18k gold, quartz
Year: c. 1985–1990s; Monaco Legend sold one with a Cartier guarantee dated 25 September 1985 and Bonhams offered one bought in February 1987; Pescheteau-Badin and Analog/Shift date examples to the 1980s, Smith & Singer one to about 1990 and Antiquorum one to the 1990s. No source gives a launch year or the end of production
Movement: Quartz; Cartier Cal. 157, 4 jewels
Case: 18 × 26 mm, 18k Yellow Gold
Dial: White or silvered; Black Roman numerals and chemin de fer minute track; Bonhams records a secret signature at 10 o'clock. A mother-of-pearl dial is documented on a diamond-set example
Hands: Blued steel; Sword-shaped; yellow gold épée hands with the mother-of-pearl dial
Crystal: Acrylic or sapphire; Analog/Shift describes acrylic crystals; Antiquorum a domed sapphire crystal on a diamond-set example
Strap: 18k gold bracelet or leather; 18k gold Cartier bracelet, including a multi-link mesh with signed deployant clasp, or leather with an 18k gold Cartier folding clasp

The Ref. 6603 is the small Calandre: an 18 mm wide, arch-shaped 18k yellow gold case with a white or silvered dial, black Roman numerals and blued steel sword hands, on the Cartier quartz Cal. 157. It comes plain or set with diamonds, on a gold bracelet or a leather strap, and Monaco Legend, Pescheteau-Badin and Analog/Shift have all sold it under this number.

Other Known References

1 documented reference across 1 era

Reunion & Democratization1964–1992

1 ref

	Reference	Case Material	Movement	Case Size	Dial	Crystal
	Ref. 660318k Yellow Gold · Quartz	18k Yellow Gold	Quartz	18 × 26 mm	White or silvered	Acrylic or sapphire

What is a Cartier Calandre worth?

Choose your reference, set its condition, and see what it's likely to bring. Each estimate uses sales of that exact reference where there are enough of them.

Which reference is yours?Ref. 6603Ladies' arch-shaped case, 18k gold, quartz1 sale

ConditionVery good

Needs workFairVery goodExcellentExceptional

The typical public example: light wear, original-looking dial, runs well. This is the baseline.

Original box and papers+8% on the estimateRecent Cartier service, with papers+5% on the estimateOriginal Cartier bracelet, all links present+5% on the estimateDial replaced or refinished−10% on the estimate

Estimated market value

One sale of Ref. 6603: $4,100 at Pescheteau-Badin, Jun 2024. Too few to estimate from. One more sale was left out (Diamond-set case).

What a dealer would likely payNot enough sales

See the sale of Ref. 6603, plus 1 that doesn’t count

Date	Ref.	Where	Details	Counts as	Price
Jun 2024	6603	Pescheteau-BadinAuction	Hôtel Drouot, lot 248, 27 Jun 2024. 18k yellow gold on leather, no. 00511. Hammer price, excludes the buyer's premium.	This reference	€3,800≈ $4,100
Apr 2026	6603	Monaco Legend	Exclusive Timepieces 40, lot 217. Diamond-set case on a gold bracelet, case 20'394, guarantee 1985. Result includes premium.	Not countedDiamond-set case	€11,250≈ $13,100

Sales from November 2023 to November 2026, or from the last five years for a reference with fewer than three in that time. Only sales that name a reference count toward its estimate; sales of the rest of its version are shown for comparison and never folded in. Auction prices include the buyer's premium unless a row says hammer; dealer prices are the price at sale. Euro figures are converted at a rate near each sale date. Results are from the auction houses' own lot pages. Pescheteau-Badin's figure is the hammer price and excludes the buyer's premium; Monaco Legend's includes it. Diamond-set cases are listed but not counted. The condition and option adjustments, the expected bid (75 to 85% of market value) and the auction range (62 to 72%) are working assumptions, to be replaced by Archiva's own bids as they come in. A sale far above or below the other sales of its reference is listed but not counted, so one unusual result can't pull the estimate. An estimate from public results, not an appraisal.

Collector's Corner

What every buyer, inheritor, and first-time collector should know.

Buying Guide

01DIAL

The Secret Signature

Introduced 1977

A microscopic 'CARTIER' hidden within the Roman numerals, present on every genuine post-1977 dial.

02CASE

Case Back Hallmarks

Varies by origin and era

A Cartier case carries the Cartier signature, a reference and serial number on later pieces, and small struck marks for the metal and the case maker. Which marks appear depends on where the case was made: an eagle's head on Paris gold, JC and a date letter on London cases, the Helvetia head on Swiss 18k before 1995. The hallmarks guide shows what each one means.

03MOVEMENT

Movement Sourcing

Varies by era and model

Cartier sourced movements from various Swiss manufacturers throughout history, including Jaeger-LeCoultre, Frédéric Piguet, ETA, and in-house production. Knowing the correct caliber for a specific reference is essential for identifying the watch and establishing provenance.

04CROWN

Crown Sapphire Cabochon

A Cartier hallmark since the early 20th century

The blue sapphire (or spinel on less precious models) cabochon crown is a Cartier signature. Original crowns show consistent color saturation and are set flush with the crown body. Replacements often show misalignment or incorrect stone dimensions that reveal themselves under magnification.

05BRACELET

Bracelet and Clasp Markings

Check the clasp first

Cartier bracelets carry their own reference markings and the deployment clasp should bear the Cartier name and logo. Aftermarket bracelets are extremely common on vintage pieces, so checking that the clasp is original and that reference numbers match is crucial to the overall picture.

06DIAL

Dial Aging and Patina

Patina tells the story

Vintage Cartier dials develop characteristic aging: cream dials warm to ivory, lacquer dials may develop fine crazing, and applied indices can show legible wear patterns. Understanding acceptable versus concerning dial aging is key to valuing a vintage piece accurately.

Questions collectors ask

Direct answers about the Cartier Calandre, drawn from the reference records below.

What is a Cartier Calandre worth?: Public auction and dealer results from November 2023 to November 2026 put the 18 mm 18k gold quartz (Ref. 6603) at one public sale at $4,100. Condition, a recent Cartier service, and the original box and papers move an individual watch within or beyond these ranges, and the calculator on this page adjusts for each.
How much will a dealer pay for a Calandre?: Dealers buying to resell usually bid about 75 to 85% of public market value, because they carry the cost and risk of the resale. For a 18 mm 18k gold quartz Calandre at the recent median of $4,100, that suggests bids of roughly $3,050 to $3,500. Archiva is opening a panel of specialist dealers who bid blind, with the seller keeping the whole winning bid.
What is the Cartier Calandre?: A small Cartier ladies' wristwatch with an arch-shaped 18k gold case and an upright top lug, a form Monaco Legend and Analog/Shift both compare to a stirrup. The documented Ref. 6603 is about 18 mm wide on the quartz Cal. 157, with a white or silvered dial, black Roman numerals and blued steel sword hands. Dated examples run from 1985 into the 1990s.
Is the Calandre a Cloche?: No, though it is often listed as one. Monaco Legend writes that the Calandre is often confused with the Cloche or the Etrier, and that it is wrongly called La Cloche. The Cloche is a bell-shaped case from the 1920s, revived as a hand-wound limited edition in the 1990s; the Calandre is a quartz ladies' watch shaped like a stirrup, with an arched case and an upright top lug.
What sizes was the Calandre made in?: The Ref. 6603 is about 18 mm wide; catalogs give its length as 20 mm or 26 mm. Monaco Legend has also offered a larger yellow gold Calandre of 22 × 29 mm on quartz cal. 81, with case number 810820302 and no reference printed, so Archiva has not yet given it a page.
When was the Calandre made?: The earliest dated example is a Ref. 6603 sold by Monaco Legend with a Cartier guarantee dated 25 September 1985. Bonhams has offered one bought in 1987, and Smith & Singer and Antiquorum date others to about 1990 and the 1990s. No source opened gives a launch year or the end of production.
What do Italian collectors call the Calandre?: Staffa, according to Monaco Legend, which describes the Calandre's shape as reminiscent of a stirrup.

Next Steps

INHERITOR