Cartier · Cougar

Cougar, Stainless Steel

Ref. 987904c. 1990s

The Cartier Cougar Ref. 987904 is the 32–33 mm Cougar in stainless steel, made c. 1990s on a Cartier quartz movement with a date at 3 o'clock: the all-steel counterpart of the two-tone Ref. 187904 and the gold Ref. 887904.

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Recent sales of Ref. 987904: $1,550 to $1,850, median $1,600 across 3 sales of this exact reference, Nov 2023 to Nov 2026. What's yours worth?

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Specifications

Reference
987904
Stainless steel, quartz
Year
c. 1990s
Finarte dates one example to the 1990s, Bulang & Sons dates another by its serial to the 1990s, and WannaBuyAWatch sold one cataloged circa 1990s
Movement
Quartz
Cartier quartz, cataloged by Piguet as Cal. 87 with 7 jewels and by Fellows as Cal. 687
Case
32–33 mm, Stainless steel
Dial
Silvered, cream or off-white
Black Roman numerals, date at 3 o'clock
Hands
Blued steel
Crystal
Sapphire
Strap
Stainless steel bracelet
Signed Cartier steel bracelet with a double folding clasp; one example sold on a leather strap

Visual Description

The 987904 is the Cougar in stainless steel. Finarte describes a stepped round steel case, and Piguet a crown set with a blue cabochon. Catalogs measure the case at 32 or 33 mm: Fellows and Piguet give 32 mm, Finarte and Bulang & Sons 33 mm.

The dial is silvered, cream or off-white, with black Roman numerals and a date at 3 o'clock, under blued steel hands. Fellows describes a signed stainless steel bracelet with a double folding clasp and Bulang & Sons an integrated Cartier bracelet; Finarte sold one on a leather strap. WannaBuyAWatch sold an example with a charcoal dial, applied silver Roman figures and silver hands.

Reference Significance

The 987904 is the all-steel version of the 33 mm Cougar. The Ref. 187904 is the same size with a steel case and an 18k yellow gold bezel, and the Ref. 887904 is 18k yellow gold. The 26 mm ladies' model in gold is the Ref. 887906.

Fellows, Finarte and Piguet catalog the 987904 as the Cougar. Bulang & Sons has listed one as a Santos Ronde in steel, and WannaBuyAWatch as a Cougar Santos Ronde, so a listing under either name may describe this watch.

Historical Context

Catalogs date the 987904 to the 1990s. Finarte dates the example it sold in Milan in December 2025 to the 1990s, Bulang & Sons dates one by its serial to the 1990s, and WannaBuyAWatch sold one cataloged circa 1990s. Loupe This dates the Cougar's launch, as the round member of the Panthère collection, to 1989.

The movement is quartz and signed Cartier. Piguet catalogs it as the Cal. 87 with 7 jewels, and Fellows as the Cal. 687 with a quick date set; no source we opened explains the two numbers.

What to Look For

Read the number on the watch: 987904 marks the steel Cougar, 187904 the steel model with a gold bezel and 887904 the gold one. Catalogs pair the 987904 with six-digit serials such as 001365 and 002088. Loupe This has offered an all-steel 33 mm Cougar on a steel bracelet as W5002F5; no catalog we opened prints W5002F5 together with 987904, so how the two numbers relate is open.

Check that the crown keeps its blue cabochon. Fellows noted stretch in the links of the bracelet on its example, so check the links and the double folding clasp. A listing at 32 mm or 33 mm describes the same watch.

Known Variants

Documented dial, case, and bracelet variations of Ref. 987904.

Charcoal Dial

A charcoal dial with applied silver Roman figures and silver hands, on an example WannaBuyAWatch sold, cataloged circa 1990s.

c. 1990sOne example found

How to tell it apart

What separates a Ref. 987904 from its neighbors, and what to check before you buy or sell one.

What is a Cartier Cougar Ref. 987904 worth?

Public auction and dealer results for Ref. 987904 from November 2023 to November 2026 come to $1,550 to $1,850, with a median of $1,600 across 3 sales of this exact reference. The most recent was $1,600 at Bezel Auctions in October 2026. Condition, service history, and the original box and papers move an individual watch within that range.

What is the Cougar Ref. 987904?

The Cougar in stainless steel: a round steel case with a crown set with a blue cabochon, a silvered, cream or off-white dial with black Roman numerals and a date at 3 o'clock, blued steel hands and a quartz movement signed Cartier, on a signed steel bracelet with a double folding clasp. Catalogs measure the case at 32 or 33 mm and date examples to the 1990s.

How does the 987904 differ from the 187904 and the 887904?

Metal. All three are quartz Cougars of the 33 mm size with a date at 3 o'clock. The 987904 is stainless steel; the 187904 has a steel case with an 18k yellow gold bezel and a steel and gold bracelet; the 887904 is 18k yellow gold, case and bracelet.

Why do some dealers call it a Santos Ronde?

Bulang & Sons has listed a 987904 as a Santos Ronde in steel and WannaBuyAWatch as a Cougar Santos Ronde, while Fellows, Finarte and Piguet catalog the number as the Cougar. The number decides: 987904 is the steel Cougar.

What should the case back of a Ref. 987904 read?

The reference 987904 and a serial. Catalogs pair the number with six-digit serials, such as 001365 on the watch Fellows offered in 2016 and 002088 on one Piguet sold in 2022. A steel Cougar with a gold bezel is the 187904, and a gold one the 887904.

When was the Ref. 987904 made?

Catalogs date examples to the 1990s: Finarte, Bulang & Sons and WannaBuyAWatch each give the 1990s. No source we opened gives a first or last year of production. Loupe This dates the launch of the Cougar to 1989.

Other Cougar References

Ref. 187904Photograph wanted
Ref. 187904

Cougar, Two-Tone Steel and Gold

Stainless steel with 18k yellow gold bezel · c. 1990s

Cougar, 18k Yellow Gold, Mid-Size, Ref. 887904, front
Ref. 887904

Cougar, 18k Yellow Gold, Mid-Size

18k Yellow Gold · c. 1990s

Cougar, 18k Yellow Gold, Ladies, Ref. 887906, front
Ref. 887906

Cougar, 18k Yellow Gold, Ladies

18k Yellow Gold · c. 1990s

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