What is a Cartier Calandre Ref. 6603 worth?

Archiva has found one public sale of Ref. 6603 in the last three years: $4,100 at Pescheteau-Badin in June 2024. One sale is a rough guide, not a market price. One more sale was left out (Diamond-set case).

What is the Cartier Calandre Ref. 6603?

A small Cartier ladies' watch with an arch-shaped 18k yellow gold case about 18 mm wide and an upright top lug, on the Cartier quartz Cal. 157 with 4 jewels. It has a white or silvered dial with black Roman numerals, a chemin de fer minute track and blued steel sword hands, and it was made plain or set with diamonds, c. 1985 into the 1990s.

How do I tell the Calandre from the Cloche?

By shape and movement. Monaco Legend writes that the Calandre is often confused with the Cloche or the Etrier. The Calandre is an arch with a single upright top lug, shaped like a stirrup, about 18 mm wide and quartz. The Cloche is a bell-shaped case; Archiva's Cloche Ref. 8876 is a 25 × 33 mm hand-wound limited edition of the 1990s.

What size is the 6603?

18 mm wide. Pescheteau-Badin and Bonhams give 18 × 26 mm and Monaco Legend 18 × 20 mm; the difference seems to come from whether the upright top lug is included. Antiquorum measured a diamond-set example at 18 × 24 × 6 mm.

What movement is in the 6603?

The Cartier quartz Cal. 157 with 4 jewels, recorded by Monaco Legend and by Bonhams. A hand-wound or automatic movement is not original to this reference.

Is my Calandre a 6603 if the reference is not printed?

Read the case number on the back. Documented 6603s carry case numbers that begin with the reference, such as 660320699, 660320831 and 660300528. Monaco Legend has also offered a larger 22 × 29 mm Calandre with case number 810820302, which is a different watch.

What should I check before buying a 6603?

A case number beginning 6603 or a printed reference; an arch and top lug with crisp edges; a dial with clean, even printing; a quartz Cal. 157 signed Cartier; on diamond-set examples, every stone present and matching settings; and an 18k gold Cartier bracelet or clasp. A Cartier guarantee, box or papers adds to the watch's story.

Cartier · Calandre

Calandre, Ladies', 18k Gold

Ref. 6603c. 1985–1990s

The Cartier Calandre Ref. 6603 is a small ladies' watch with an 18 mm wide, arch-shaped 18k yellow gold case and an upright top lug, on the Cartier quartz Cal. 157, made c. 1985–1990s plain or set with diamonds.

Have this watch?

One recent sale of Ref. 6603

Jun 2024Pescheteau-BadinHôtel Drouot, lot 248, 27 Jun 2024. 18k yellow gold on leather, no. 00511. Hammer price, excludes the buyer's premium.$4,100

One sale is a rough guide. One more sale was left out (Diamond-set case). See it in the calculator.

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Specifications

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; Arch (stirrup) shape with upright top lug, cabochon crown
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

Visual Description

The Ref. 6603 is a small arch of 18k yellow gold, about 18 mm wide, with a single upright top lug. Analog/Shift describes the case as an equestrian-inspired stirrup with a smooth bezel and a perpendicular top lug, and Monaco Legend as arch-shaped. The crown carries a cabochon.

The dial is white or silvered with black Roman numerals and a chemin de fer minute track, under blued steel sword hands; Bonhams records a secret signature at 10 o'clock. Some examples are plain gold, and others are set with diamonds on the top lug, the lug and crown, the whole case, or the bezel and lugs. It comes on an 18k gold Cartier bracelet, such as a multi-link mesh with a signed deployant clasp, or on leather with an 18k gold folding clasp.

Reference Significance

The 6603 is the documented reference of the Calandre, the Cartier ladies' watch that Monaco Legend calls rarely encountered and often confused with the Cloche or the Etrier. It is the number printed by Monaco Legend, Pescheteau-Badin and Analog/Shift, and the case numbers recorded by Bonhams, Smith & Singer and Antiquorum begin with it.

Its range of dress is wide for so small a watch: a plain gold case on leather, a gold mesh bracelet, and diamond settings that run from a single set lug to a fully set bezel with a mother-of-pearl dial.

Historical Context

The earliest dated 6603 in the sources is the diamond-set example Monaco Legend sold with a Cartier guarantee dated 25 September 1985. Bonhams has offered one bought in February 1987, and Pescheteau-Badin and Analog/Shift date plain examples to the 1980s. Smith & Singer dates a diamond-set example to about 1990 and Antiquorum another to the 1990s.

No source opened gives the year the Calandre was launched or the year it was discontinued, so the range is written from dated examples. Catalogs give its length as 20 mm or 26 mm, a difference that seems to come from whether the upright top lug is measured; all agree on 18 mm wide.

What to Look For

Turn the watch over first. The case number should begin with 6603, as on the 660320699 sold by Smith & Singer and the 660300528 offered by Bonhams, or the reference should be printed. Monaco Legend has offered a larger 22 × 29 mm Calandre with case number 810820302, so measure the width.

The movement should be the quartz Cal. 157 signed Cartier. On the dial, expect clean black Roman numerals and a chemin de fer track; uneven printing suggests a refinished dial. On a diamond-set example, check every stone and that the settings match from lug to crown. Finally, the bracelet or clasp should be signed Cartier in 18k gold; Pescheteau-Badin sold one on leather with a gold-plated metal buckle, which is not a Cartier gold clasp.

Known Variants

Documented dial, case, and bracelet variations of Ref. 6603.

18k Yellow Gold, Plain Case

Plain gold case with a white or silvered dial, black Roman numerals and blued steel sword hands, on an 18k gold mesh bracelet or a leather strap. Sold by Analog/Shift, Pescheteau-Badin and Bonhams.

1980sThe most often documented configuration

Diamond-Set Top Lug

Diamonds on the upright top lug, sold by Analog/Shift on a gold mesh bracelet.

1980sOne example documented

Diamond-Set Lug and Crown

Diamonds on the lug and crown, white dial with Roman numerals, on leather with an 18k gold Cartier deployant clasp. Sold by Smith & Singer with case number 660320699, box and papers.

c. 1990One example documented

Diamond-Set Case on Gold Bracelet

Diamond-set case on an 18k yellow gold Cartier bracelet, white dial with Roman numerals. Sold by Monaco Legend with its Cartier guarantee dated 1985.

1985One example documented

Diamond Bezel and Lugs, Mother-of-Pearl Dial

Bezel and lugs set with 48 round diamonds, mother-of-pearl dial with gold sunburst decoration and yellow gold épée hands, sapphire crystal, on an 18k gold Cartier link bracelet. Sold by Antiquorum with case number 660320831.

1990sOne example documented

How to tell it apart

What separates a Ref. 6603 from its neighbors, and what to check before you buy or sell one.

What is a Cartier Calandre Ref. 6603 worth?: Archiva has found one public sale of Ref. 6603 in the last three years: $4,100 at Pescheteau-Badin in June 2024. One sale is a rough guide, not a market price. One more sale was left out (Diamond-set case).
What is the Cartier Calandre Ref. 6603?: A small Cartier ladies' watch with an arch-shaped 18k yellow gold case about 18 mm wide and an upright top lug, on the Cartier quartz Cal. 157 with 4 jewels. It has a white or silvered dial with black Roman numerals, a chemin de fer minute track and blued steel sword hands, and it was made plain or set with diamonds, c. 1985 into the 1990s.
How do I tell the Calandre from the Cloche?: By shape and movement. Monaco Legend writes that the Calandre is often confused with the Cloche or the Etrier. The Calandre is an arch with a single upright top lug, shaped like a stirrup, about 18 mm wide and quartz. The Cloche is a bell-shaped case; Archiva's Cloche Ref. 8876 is a 25 × 33 mm hand-wound limited edition of the 1990s.
What size is the 6603?: 18 mm wide. Pescheteau-Badin and Bonhams give 18 × 26 mm and Monaco Legend 18 × 20 mm; the difference seems to come from whether the upright top lug is included. Antiquorum measured a diamond-set example at 18 × 24 × 6 mm.
What movement is in the 6603?: The Cartier quartz Cal. 157 with 4 jewels, recorded by Monaco Legend and by Bonhams. A hand-wound or automatic movement is not original to this reference.
Is my Calandre a 6603 if the reference is not printed?: Read the case number on the back. Documented 6603s carry case numbers that begin with the reference, such as 660320699, 660320831 and 660300528. Monaco Legend has also offered a larger 22 × 29 mm Calandre with case number 810820302, which is a different watch.
What should I check before buying a 6603?: A case number beginning 6603 or a printed reference; an arch and top lug with crisp edges; a dial with clean, even printing; a quartz Cal. 157 signed Cartier; on diamond-set examples, every stone present and matching settings; and an 18k gold Cartier bracelet or clasp. A Cartier guarantee, box or papers adds to the watch's story.

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