Cartier · Diabolo

Diabolo, 18k Yellow Gold, Manual Wind

Ref. 1460c. 1990–2000Also cataloged as 1460-0

The Cartier Diabolo Ref. 1460 is a 32 mm 18k yellow gold Diabolo with a cabochon sapphire crown, hand-wound on the Cartier Cal. 9P2 with 18 jewels and dated c. 1990–2000; Antiquorum catalogs it as the Diabolo Mécanique.

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Two sales of Ref. 1460 in the last five years

  • Nov 2023Auktionshaus Stahl HamburgLot 328, 24 to 25 Nov 2023. Ref. 1460 0, 32 mm, 18k yellow gold, manual wind, champagne dial with Roman numerals signed Cartier Mécanique, later green leather strap with Cartier gold pin buckle; case no. C70181, few traces of use. Premium not stated; Stahl gives the figure as "Proceeds".$4,150
  • May 2022Auktionshaus Stahl HamburgLot 42, 6 to 7 May 2022. 32 mm, 18k yellow gold, manual wind, white dial with black Roman numerals and blue hands, sapphire crown, blue leather strap with large Cartier gold folding clasp; case back numbered 1460 0. Premium not stated; Stahl gives the figure as "Proceeds".$4,650

Two sales are a rough guide. One more sale was left out (Diamond-set bezel; gem-set watches are left out of the plain hand-wound version). See them in the calculator.

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Specifications

Reference
1460
32 mm, 18k yellow gold, manual wind
Year
c. 1990–2000
Stahl dates one example to around 1990 and Monaco Legend gives 1991 for the launch of the Diabolo model; Bonhams and Bulang & Sons date examples to about 2000; Antiquorum dated one to the 1980s; no source gives an end date
Movement
Manual-wind
Cartier Cal. 9P2, 18 jewels
Case
32 mm, 18k Yellow Gold
Round two-body case, back held by six screws, cabochon sapphire crown
Dial
White, silvered or champagne
Roman numerals; silvered guilloché dials recorded by Antiquorum and Bulang & Sons, one champagne dial signed Cartier Mécanique by Stahl; Bonhams and Antiquorum note a secret Cartier signature
Hands
Blued steel
Breguet style
Crystal
Sapphire
Domed, per Antiquorum
Strap
Leather
18k gold Cartier folding clasp or pin buckle

Visual Description

The Ref. 1460 is a round 18k yellow gold Diabolo, 32 mm across and, per Antiquorum, 9 mm thick. Antiquorum describes a two-body case, polished and brushed, with a rounded bezel, straight screwed lugs, a cabochon sapphire-set crown, a back held by six screws and a domed sapphire crystal; Bonhams also records the six-screw back and the cabochon crown.

Dials are white, silvered or champagne, with Roman numerals. Stahl and Bonhams record white dials with black Roman numerals. Antiquorum catalogs a silvered guilloché dial with painted radial Roman numerals, an outer minute track and an inner ring of 24-hour numerals, and Bulang & Sons another silvered guilloché dial. The hands are blued steel in the Breguet style, and examples come on leather straps with an 18k gold Cartier folding clasp or pin buckle.

Reference Significance

The 1460 is the hand-wound counterpart of the quartz Ref. 1420. Both are yellow gold Diabolos about 32 mm across, but the 1460 runs on the Cartier Cal. 9P2 with 18 jewels, which Bonhams, Antiquorum and Bulang & Sons all name. Antiquorum catalogs it as the Diabolo Mécanique, and one example sold by Stahl has a champagne dial signed Cartier Mécanique.

The same caliber appears under other numbers: Antiquorum catalogs a white gold Diabolo Mécanique with a diamond-set bezel as Ref. 1464. In yellow gold, Bonhams has offered a 1460 with a diamond-set bezel, 33 mm across.

Historical Context

Monaco Legend writes that the Diabolo model was launched in 1991. Stahl dates one 1460 to around 1990, and Bonhams and Bulang & Sons date others to about 2000, Bulang & Sons from a serial in the C102 range. Antiquorum, cataloging an example in 2010, dated it to the 1980s, earlier than any other record of the reference. No source we opened gives an end date.

Bulang & Sons writes that the hand-wound version was released in the Collection Privée Cartier Paris; the auction catalogs consulted do not use that name.

What to Look For

Start with the case back. Stahl records one marked "Cartier Water Resistant 100 ft/30m Swiss Made 18" and numbered 1460 0. Case numbers recorded on 1460s include R2797 (Bonhams), C70181 (Stahl) and a C102 serial (Bulang & Sons).

Then the movement: a hand-wound Cartier Cal. 9P2 with 18 jewels, and Antiquorum and Bonhams record case, dial and movement as signed. A quartz movement with a date points to the 1420. Check that the sapphire cabochon in the crown is present and that the Roman numerals are crisp, and look for an 18k gold Cartier folding clasp or pin buckle.

Known Variants

Documented dial, case, and bracelet variations of Ref. 1460.

White Roman Dial

White dial with black Roman numerals and blue hands, signed Cartier Swiss, on the example Stahl sold with its case back numbered 1460 0. The diamond-set example Bonhams offered also has a white dial with black Roman numerals.

Around 1990, per StahlOne plain example documented at auction

Silvered Guilloché Dial

Silvered guilloché dial with painted Roman numerals. Antiquorum cataloged one with an outer minute track, an inner ring of 24-hour numerals and a secret Cartier signature at X; Bulang & Sons sold another with black Roman numerals.

Dated to the 1980s by Antiquorum and to about 2000 by Bulang & SonsTwo examples documented

Champagne Dial, Cartier Mécanique

Champagne dial with Roman numerals, signed Cartier Mécanique and Swiss, sold by Stahl with case number C70181.

Not dated by the sourceOne example documented at auction

Diamond-Set Bezel

18k yellow gold with a diamond-set bezel and a white dial, 33 mm, on the Cal. 9P2, case number R2797, offered by Bonhams.

Circa 2000One example documented at auction

How to tell it apart

What separates a Ref. 1460 from its neighbors, and what to check before you buy or sell one.

What is a Cartier Diabolo Ref. 1460 worth?

Archiva has found two public sales of Ref. 1460 in the last five years: $4,150 at Auktionshaus Stahl Hamburg in November 2023 and $4,650 at Auktionshaus Stahl Hamburg in May 2022. Two sales are a rough guide, not a market price. One more sale was left out (Diamond-set bezel; gem-set watches are left out of the plain hand-wound version).

What is the Cartier Diabolo Ref. 1460?

The hand-wound yellow gold Diabolo: a 32 mm round case in 18k yellow gold with a cabochon sapphire crown, a white, silvered or champagne dial with Roman numerals, blued steel Breguet hands and the Cartier Cal. 9P2 with 18 jewels. Antiquorum catalogs it as the Diabolo Mécanique.

My watch reads 1460 0. Is that the same reference?

Yes. Stahl records the number as 1460 0 on two 32 mm yellow gold hand-wound examples, one of them printed on the case back, while Bonhams, Antiquorum and Bulang & Sons write it 1460. Both forms describe the same watch.

How is the 1460 different from the Diabolo 1420?

By its movement. Antiquorum catalogs the Ref. 1420 as an 18k yellow gold quartz wristwatch with date, 32.5 mm across. The 1460 is also 18k yellow gold and about the same size, but it is hand-wound on the Cartier Cal. 9P2.

How is the 1460 different from the Diabolo 1464?

By metal and stones. Antiquorum catalogs the Ref. 1464, also a Diabolo Mécanique on the Cal. 9P2, in 18k white gold with a bezel pavé-set with diamonds. The 1460 is yellow gold; Bonhams has offered one with a diamond-set bezel, 33 mm across.

What should I check before buying a Diabolo 1460?

A case back that carries 1460 or 1460 0 and a case number, such as the R2797 Bonhams recorded or the C70181 Stahl recorded; a hand-wound Cartier Cal. 9P2 with 18 jewels, signed like the dial and case; the sapphire cabochon in the crown; crisp Roman numerals on the dial; and an 18k gold Cartier folding clasp or pin buckle.

Other Diabolo References

Ref. 1420Photograph wanted
Ref. 1420

Diabolo, 18k Yellow Gold, Quartz Date

18k Yellow Gold · c. 1990s

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