What is a Cartier Cougar Ref. 887904 worth?

Archiva has found three public sales of Ref. 887904 in the last five years: $1,650 at Lyon & Turnbull in April 2025, $5,600 at Antiquorum Hong Kong in November 2022 and $6,900 at Freeman's | Hindman in May 2022. They are too far apart to give a market price. One more sale was left out (Unusual blue dial, about 5x normal level). For comparison, from November 2023 to November 2026: 33 mm, 18k gold, quartz (Ref. 887904): two sales, $1,650 and $7,000, one of them Ref. 887904.

What is the Cougar Ref. 887904?

The 33 mm Cougar in 18k yellow gold, case and bracelet: a quartz movement signed Cartier, a Roman numeral dial with a date at 3 o'clock, blued steel hands, a crown set with a sapphire cabochon and a gold link bracelet with a double folding clasp. Auction houses date examples from about 1990 to the mid 1990s.

How does the 887904 differ from the 187904?

Metal. The 887904 is 18k yellow gold throughout; the 187904 is the same 33 mm Cougar with a stainless steel case, an 18k yellow gold bezel and a steel and gold bracelet.

Is there a diamond-set version of the 887904?

Under another number. Amsterdam Vintage Watches sold a 33 mm gold Cougar of 1999 with diamonds on the bezel, lugs and crown as Reference 887905, and Sotheby's offered a diamond-set 887905 with a blue dial, circa 1995. If a gem-set watch is offered as an 887904, read the case back.

Which movement does the 887904 use?

A quartz movement signed Cartier. Fellows catalogs it as caliber 687 with a quick date set, and Colasanti as caliber 87. Ask for a photograph of the movement to see its markings.

Cartier · Cougar

Cougar, 18k Yellow Gold, Mid-Size

Ref. 887904c. 1990s

The Cartier Cougar Ref. 887904 is the 33 mm Cougar in 18k yellow gold, case and bracelet, made c. 1990s on a Cartier quartz movement with a white or off-white Roman numeral dial: the all-gold counterpart of the two-tone Ref. 187904.

Have this watch?

Three sales of Ref. 887904 in the last five years

Apr 2025Lyon & TurnbullLot 54, 29 Apr 2025. 33 mm, 18k yellow gold, quartz, date; no bracelet described. Premium not stated.$1,650
Nov 2022Antiquorum Hong KongHong Kong, 26 Nov 2022, lot 419. 18k yellow gold, 33 mm, quartz, case 1754, c.1990s, bracelet. Antiquorum 'Sold:' figure; the lot page does not say whether it includes the buyer's premium. Result read by Kyle from the house's signed-in result page, 5 Nov 2026.$5,600
May 2022Freeman's | Hindman17 May 2022. 32 mm, 18k yellow gold, quartz, brick-link bracelet with double deployant; case back stamped 887904 002980. Result includes premium.$6,900

For comparison

33 mm, 18k gold, quartz (Ref. 887904): two sales, $1,650 and $7,000, one of them Ref. 887904.

These sales are too far apart to estimate from. One more sale was left out (Unusual blue dial, about 5x normal level). See them in the calculator.

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Photos by @barbun_watches

Specifications

Reference: 887904; 18k yellow gold, quartz, mid-size
Year: c. 1990s; Lyon & Turnbull catalogs one example circa 1990, Antiquorum one circa 1990s and Sotheby's an 887904C circa 1995
Movement: Quartz; Cartier quartz movement
Case: 33 mm, 18k Yellow Gold
Dial: White/off-white; Black painted Roman numerals, applied railroad minute track, date at 3 o'clock
Hands: Blued steel; Sword-shaped
Crystal: Sapphire; Scratch-resistant sapphire
Strap: 18k yellow gold bracelet; Brushed 18k gold five-link integrated bracelet with hidden fold-over clasp

Visual Description

The 887904 is the 33 mm Cougar in 18k yellow gold, case and bracelet. Lyon & Turnbull describes a circular gold case with a cabochon-set crown, Colasanti specifies a sapphire cabochon, and case, dial and movement are signed Cartier. The dial carries black Roman numerals, a date at 3 o'clock and blued steel hands with a center seconds hand, and Hindman's example shows the hidden Cartier signature in the VII.

Catalogers use different words for the dial: off-white at Hindman, white at Colasanti, cream at Fellows, ivory at Antiquorum and silvered textured at Lyon & Turnbull. The gold link bracelet closes with a double folding clasp. Hindman calls it a flexible brick-link bracelet and Colasanti a Panthère link bracelet, and Fellows notes that its bracelet is signed.

Reference Significance

The 887904 is the gold version of the 33 mm Cougar. The Ref. 187904 is the same size with a stainless steel case and an 18k gold bezel, the diamond-set gold model is cataloged as Reference 887905, and the 26 mm ladies' model in gold is the Ref. 887906.

The Cougar is the round watch of Cartier's Panthère family. Amsterdam Vintage Watches describes it as the Panthère's square shape reimagined as a round watch, Colasanti catalogs the bracelet of its 887904 as a Panthère link bracelet, and Loupe This dates the Cougar's launch to 1989.

Historical Context

Auction houses date the 887904 to about 1990 and the 1990s. Lyon & Turnbull catalogs its example, offered in its Cartier Curated sale in April 2025, as circa 1990, and Antiquorum its example, offered in Hong Kong in November 2022, as circa 1990s. Fellows offered one in October 2019 with serial 001445, and Hindman sold one in May 2022 stamped 887904 002980. Sotheby's offered a Reference 887904C, circa 1995, on a gold and steel bracelet.

The movement is quartz and signed Cartier. Fellows catalogs it as caliber 687 with a quick date set, and Colasanti in Rome as caliber 87; no source we consulted explains the difference.

What to Look For

Read the case back. Hindman's example is stamped Cartier Quartz, 18K with the Swiss hallmark, and 887904 002980: the reference followed by the serial. Amsterdam Vintage Watches and Sotheby's both catalog the diamond-set 33 mm gold Cougar as 887905.

Check the hidden signature in the VII, the sapphire cabochon in the crown and the bracelet for stretch, which Fellows noted on its example. Ask whether the bracelet is the 18k gold Cartier bracelet with a double folding clasp: Sotheby's 887904C came on a gold and steel bracelet with a steel clasp. Weight depends on bracelet length. Hindman recorded a gross weight of 68.40 dwt (about 106 g) with an inner circumference of 6 1/2 inches, and Colasanti 119 g with a 17 cm bracelet.

Known Variants

Documented dial, case, and bracelet variations of Ref. 887904.

Off-White or Cream Dial

Black Roman numerals and a date at 3 o'clock, cataloged as off-white by Hindman (with the hidden signature in the VII), white by Colasanti, cream by Fellows and ivory by Antiquorum.

c. 1990sDocumented at auction

Silvered Dial

Silvered textured dial with black Roman numerals, cataloged by Lyon & Turnbull in April 2025 on an example of circa 1990.

c. 1990Documented at auction

887904C, Gold and Steel Bracelet

Sotheby's offered a Reference 887904C, circa 1995, with an 18k yellow gold case and a silvered dial on an 18k gold and stainless steel Cartier bracelet with a steel double folding clasp.

c. 1995One example found

Collector's Corner

Reading the case back

What the numbers on the back of Ref. 887904 mean. Swiss production, late 1980s to 1990s.

Photo by @barbun_watches

Reference: 887904; Six digits under SWISS MADE, with the serial on the line below.
Serial: Six digits, below the reference; 00···· on this back. Antiquorum prints one as Case No. 1···.
Metal: 18K; Written as 18K under Quartz. Antiquorum catalogs 18k yellow gold.
Hallmarks: Two small marks; One either side of the text, too small in this photo to read. The Swiss marks are in the hallmarks guide.
Dating: Papers, not the digits; Antiquorum dates one to the 1990s. No source reads a year from the number.
Clasp: Double deployant, on the gold bracelet; Antiquorum catalogs the 18k Cartier link bracelet with a double deployant clasp.

Serials quoted from catalogs are shortened with dots: they belong to their owners. How Cartier numbered its cases in each era is on the case back guide, and the stamped marks are in the hallmarks guide.

How to tell it apart

What separates a Ref. 887904 from its neighbors, and what to check before you buy or sell one.

What is a Cartier Cougar Ref. 887904 worth?: Archiva has found three public sales of Ref. 887904 in the last five years: $1,650 at Lyon & Turnbull in April 2025, $5,600 at Antiquorum Hong Kong in November 2022 and $6,900 at Freeman's | Hindman in May 2022. They are too far apart to give a market price. One more sale was left out (Unusual blue dial, about 5x normal level). For comparison, from November 2023 to November 2026: 33 mm, 18k gold, quartz (Ref. 887904): two sales, $1,650 and $7,000, one of them Ref. 887904.
What is the Cougar Ref. 887904?: The 33 mm Cougar in 18k yellow gold, case and bracelet: a quartz movement signed Cartier, a Roman numeral dial with a date at 3 o'clock, blued steel hands, a crown set with a sapphire cabochon and a gold link bracelet with a double folding clasp. Auction houses date examples from about 1990 to the mid 1990s.
How does the 887904 differ from the 187904?: Metal. The 887904 is 18k yellow gold throughout; the 187904 is the same 33 mm Cougar with a stainless steel case, an 18k yellow gold bezel and a steel and gold bracelet.
Is there a diamond-set version of the 887904?: Under another number. Amsterdam Vintage Watches sold a 33 mm gold Cougar of 1999 with diamonds on the bezel, lugs and crown as Reference 887905, and Sotheby's offered a diamond-set 887905 with a blue dial, circa 1995. If a gem-set watch is offered as an 887904, read the case back.
Which movement does the 887904 use?: A quartz movement signed Cartier. Fellows catalogs it as caliber 687 with a quick date set, and Colasanti as caliber 87. Ask for a photograph of the movement to see its markings.
What should I check before buying a Ref. 887904?: The case back should carry 887904 and a serial, as on Hindman's example, stamped Cartier Quartz, 18K with the Swiss hallmark, and 887904 002980. Check the hidden signature in the VII, the sapphire cabochon in the crown and the bracelet for stretch, which Fellows noted on its example. Ask whether the bracelet is the 18k gold Cartier bracelet: Sotheby's 887904C came on a gold and steel bracelet with a steel clasp.