Cartier · Ceinture

Ceinture, Small Model, 18k Yellow Gold

Ref. 78100c. 1970s–1980s

The Cartier Ceinture Ref. 78100 is the smaller Ceinture of the 1973 Louis Cartier Collection: a 25 × 25 mm 18k yellow gold cut-corner square case with a white Paris dial, hand-wound on the Cal. 2512-1, made c. 1970s–1980s.

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One recent sale of Ref. 78100

  • Nov 2025Antiquorum Hong KongImportant Modern & Vintage Timepieces, lot 21, 30 Nov 2025. 18k yellow gold, case 1006, cal. 2512-1.$5,150

One sale is a rough guide. See it in the calculator.

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Specifications

Reference
78100
25 mm, 18k yellow gold, manual wind
Year
c. 1970s–1980s
Artcurial dates one to about 1970 and Bulang & Sons one to the mid 1970s from its serial; Antiquorum and Analog/Shift date examples to the 1970s, and Antiquorum, Monaco Legend and Cambi others to the 1980s or about 1980
Movement
Manual
Cal. 2512-1, 17 jewels, per Antiquorum; Cambi and Loupe This give the Cartier Cal. 78-1
Case
25 × 25 mm, 18k Yellow Gold
Square with cut corners, often cataloged as octagonal; about 6 mm thick per Antiquorum; crown set flat in a slot in the case
Dial
White
Painted black Roman numerals and railroad minute track, signed Paris; Artcurial records a cream dial with crazing
Hands
Blued steel
Sword-shaped
Crystal
Acrylic
Acrylic crystal, per Analog/Shift
Strap
Leather
On leather with an 18k gold Cartier deployant clasp

Visual Description

The Ref. 78100 is the 25 mm Ceinture. Antiquorum, Artcurial, Monaco Legend and Bulang & Sons all give the case as 25 × 25 mm, and Antiquorum records it as about 6 mm thick. Artcurial describes a square with cut corners, Bulang & Sons a stepped case with subtly shaved corners, and Antiquorum, Cambi and Analog/Shift an octagonal case. The dial is white, signed Paris, with painted black Roman numerals and a railroad minute track, and the sword hands are blued steel. Bulang & Sons notes that the winding crown is set into a recessed slot within the outer step of the case. Analog/Shift lists an acrylic crystal, and examples come on leather straps with an 18k gold Cartier deployant clasp.

Reference Significance

The 78100 is the smaller of the two references of the relaunched Ceinture, beside the 27 mm Ref. 78099. Monaco Legend writes that Cartier re-released the Ceinture in 1973 in 25 mm and 27 mm sizes, and Bulang & Sons that it gained prominence in 1973 when it was reintroduced as part of the Louis Cartier Collection. Because many catalogs call its case octagonal, the 78100 is sometimes taken for a separate model, but every auction house and dealer that names the reference calls it the Ceinture. Catalogs disagree on the caliber: Antiquorum gives the Cal. 2512-1, while Cambi and Loupe This give the Cartier Cal. 78-1.

Historical Context

Monaco Legend, Sotheby's and Loupe This date the first Ceinture to 1927. Dated 78100s span the 1970s and 1980s: Artcurial dates one to about 1970, Bulang & Sons dates one to the mid 1970s from its serial, Antiquorum sold one of the 1970s in Hong Kong in November 2025, and Antiquorum, Monaco Legend and Cambi have offered others they date to the 1980s or about 1980. Most are yellow gold. Monaco Legend has sold one in white gold and writes that white gold Ceintures are rare because yellow gold was the main metal, and Analog/Shift has sold a yellow gold 78100 with an onyx-inlaid bezel and diamonds set in the middle case.

What to Look For

Case: The cut corners and stepped edges show any polishing. Compare all four corners; they should be crisp and the same.

Case number: The case back should read 78100 followed by the serial. Antiquorum and Monaco Legend have both printed "Ref. 606" in the reference line of 78100-numbered Ceintures, so read the full case number.

Dial: Original dials are white lacquer signed Paris. Age can turn the lacquer cream and craze it, as on the example Artcurial sold; heavy or uneven printing points to a refinished dial.

Crown: Antiquorum noted a later crown on its 2025 example and Artcurial a crown that was not original, so check that the flat crown sits cleanly in its slot.

Movement and clasp: The movement should be hand-wound and signed Cartier, cataloged as the Cal. 2512-1 or the Cal. 78-1. Many examples keep an 18k gold Cartier deployant clasp.

Known Variants

Documented dial, case, and bracelet variations of Ref. 78100.

18k Yellow Gold, White Paris Dial

White dial signed Paris with painted black Roman numerals, a railroad minute track and blued hands, cataloged by Antiquorum, Cambi and Loupe This and sold by Bulang & Sons. Artcurial has sold one whose lacquer has aged to cream with fine crazing.

c. 1970s–1980sThe configuration seen most often

18k White Gold

Monaco Legend has sold a 25 × 25 mm white gold Ceinture, case No. 781000819, with a Roman numeral dial, dated to the 1980s. The catalog prints Reference 606; the case number begins with 78100.

c. 1980s (dated example)One example documented; Monaco Legend calls white gold Ceintures rare

Onyx and Diamond

Analog/Shift has sold a 25 mm 18k yellow gold Ref. 78100 with an onyx-inlaid bezel and factory-set diamonds on the middle case, a white Paris dial and an 18k gold Cartier deployant clasp, dated to the late 1970s.

c. late 1970s (dated example)One example documented

How to tell it apart

What separates a Ref. 78100 from its neighbors, and what to check before you buy or sell one.

What is a Cartier Ceinture Ref. 78100 worth?

Archiva has found one public sale of Ref. 78100 in the last three years: $5,150 at Antiquorum Hong Kong in November 2025. One sale is a rough guide, not a market price.

What is the Cartier Ceinture Ref. 78100?

The smaller of the two Ceintures Cartier Paris made after relaunching the model in the 1973 Louis Cartier Collection. It has a 25 × 25 mm 18k gold case, a square with its corners cut away, a white Paris dial with black Roman numerals and blued hands, an acrylic crystal and a hand-wound movement. Antiquorum, Cambi, Loupe This, Bulang & Sons and Analog/Shift have all offered it by reference.

Is the octagonal 78100 a Ceinture or a different model?

It is the Ceinture. Antiquorum titles its lot Ref. 78100 Ceinture, Cambi catalogs it as the Tank Ceinture, and Bulang & Sons and Analog/Shift both sell it as the Ceinture. Catalogs that call the case octagonal and Artcurial's description of a square with cut corners describe the same shape.

How is the 78100 different from the Ref. 78099?

By size. The 78100 measures about 25 × 25 mm and the 78099 about 27 × 27 mm; Monaco Legend and Sotheby's both write that the 1973 relaunch came in 25 mm and 27 mm sizes. The shape, metal, dial and movement are otherwise the same, so measure the case and read the number on the back. Cambi measured one 78100 at 24 mm.

What movement is in the 78100?

A hand-wound movement. Antiquorum catalogs it as the Cal. 2512-1 with 17 jewels, and Cambi and Loupe This as the Cartier Cal. 78-1.

What should the case back of a 78100 read?

A case number that begins with 78100 and continues with the serial, such as the 781000388 Artcurial recorded or the 7810048xx Bulang & Sons gives. Antiquorum and Monaco Legend have both printed Ref. 606 in the reference line of 25 × 25 mm Ceintures whose case numbers, 781001044 and 781000819, begin with 78100, so read the full case number rather than the catalog's reference line.

What should I check before buying a 78100?

Crisp, matching cut corners and steps, since polishing rounds them; a case number that begins with 78100; a white dial signed Paris; the flat crown in its slot, which Antiquorum and Artcurial have both found replaced; a hand-wound movement signed Cartier; and an 18k gold Cartier deployant clasp.

Other Ceinture References

Ref. 78099Photograph wanted
Ref. 78099

Ceinture, Large Model, 18k Yellow Gold

18k Yellow Gold · c. 1970s–1990

Back to Ceinture