Cartier · Ellipse

Ellipse, Large Model, 18k Gold

Ref. 78091c. 1970s–1980s

The Cartier Ellipse Ref. 78091 is the large Ellipse of the Louis Cartier Collection: a horizontal oval 32 × 29 mm 18k yellow or white gold case, hand-wound on the Cartier Cal. 78-1, made c. 1970s–1980s, with a white Paris dial.

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One recent sale of Ref. 78091

  • Nov 2025Antiquorum Hong KongImportant Modern & Vintage Timepieces, lot 19, 30 Nov 2025. 18k yellow gold, case 2224, cal. 2512-1, Paris dial.$6,400

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

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Specifications

Reference
78091
Large model (GM), 18k gold, manual wind
Year
c. 1970s–1980s
Craft + Tailored dates examples to the 1970s and Amsterdam Watch Company one to about 1977; Loupe This dates examples to about 1980 and the 1980s, and Antiquorum and Analog/Shift to the 1980s; no source gives a production range
Movement
Manual
Cartier Cal. 78-1 (ETA 2512 base); Antiquorum catalogs it as cal. 2512-1
Case
32 × 29 mm, 18k Yellow Gold or 18k White Gold
Horizontal oval with flat top and bottom, stepped case
Dial
White
Enamel, black Roman numerals and railroad minute track, signed Paris at 6 o'clock
Hands
Blued steel
Sword-shaped
Crystal
Acrylic
Stated by Amsterdam Watch Company; the auction catalogs consulted do not give the type
Strap
Leather
18k gold Cartier tang buckle or deployant clasp in the case metal

Visual Description

The Ref. 78091 is a broad oval on its side. Analog/Shift describes it as a slim, horizontal watch, and Loupe This writes that its flat top and bottom echo the Tank while its curved sides set it apart. Antiquorum measures it at 32 × 29 mm and Loupe This at 32.5 × 29 mm. The case is stepped, and Craft + Tailored notes the patina that forms between the steps on unpolished examples.

The white enamel dial carries black Roman numerals and a railroad minute track and is signed Paris at 6 o'clock, under blued sword hands. The crown is set with a blue sapphire cabochon. Examples come on leather straps with an 18k gold Cartier tang buckle or deployant clasp.

Reference Significance

The 78091 is the large Ellipse, the size Phillips names as the model for the smaller Ref. 67081; Amsterdam Watch Company sells the two as the Ellipse GM and PM. Its number sits beside the Vendôme Ref. 78090, the round 33 mm Vendôme of the same collection, and like the Cristallor Ref. 78096 it runs on the hand-wound Cartier Cal. 78-1.

Most examples are 18k yellow gold. Loupe This has offered one in 18k white gold, and Analog/Shift one with onyx and diamond inlays on the bezel.

Historical Context

Loupe This dates the Ellipse to 1973, and Phillips, Analog/Shift and Craft + Tailored place it in the Louis Cartier Collection launched that year. Craft + Tailored writes that it was introduced alongside the Cristallor, the Gondole and the Vendôme.

Dated examples of the 78091 run from the 1970s through the 1980s: Amsterdam Watch Company dates one to about 1977, Loupe This one to about 1980, and Antiquorum one to the 1980s. No source gives a production range.

What to Look For

Case back: Read the case number, which begins with 78091 and continues with the serial, as Craft + Tailored records it. Check that the factory engravings and hallmarks are legible.

Movement: Ask for a photograph. Loupe This, Amsterdam Watch Company and Phillips give the hand-wound Cartier Cal. 78-1, and Antiquorum the cal. 2512-1.

Dial: The white enamel crazes and cracks with age; Antiquorum, Loupe This and Craft + Tailored all record hairlines or spidering on original dials. A dial that looks too clean and flat may have been refinished.

Case: The steps should be crisp. Polishing rounds them and removes the patina between them.

Crown and clasp: A blue sapphire cabochon crown, and an 18k gold Cartier buckle or deployant clasp in the case metal. Antiquorum's example came on a gold-plated Cartier buckle.

Known Variants

Documented dial, case, and bracelet variations of Ref. 78091.

18k Yellow Gold

Stepped yellow gold case with a white enamel dial signed Paris, black Roman numerals, blued hands and a blue sapphire cabochon crown, on a leather strap with a Cartier gold buckle or deployant clasp. The configuration Antiquorum, Loupe This and Craft + Tailored catalog.

c. 1970s–1980sThe most often documented configuration

18k White Gold

White gold case with a white Paris dial on a white gold Cartier deployant buckle, offered by Loupe This and dated to the 1980s.

c. 1980sOne example documented

Onyx and Diamond Bezel

Yellow gold with onyx and diamond inlays on the bezel, which Analog/Shift describes as factory work, on a signed 18k yellow gold deployant clasp.

c. 1980sOne example documented

How to tell it apart

What separates a Ref. 78091 from its neighbors, and what to check before you buy or sell one.

What is a Cartier Ellipse Ref. 78091 worth?

Archiva has found one public sale of Ref. 78091 in the last three years: $6,400 at Antiquorum Hong Kong in November 2025. One sale is a rough guide, not a market price.

What is the Cartier Ellipse Ref. 78091?

The large Ellipse of the 1973 Louis Cartier Collection: a horizontal oval case in 18k gold about 32 mm across and 29 mm high, with a white enamel dial signed Paris, black Roman numerals, blued hands, a blue cabochon crown and the hand-wound Cartier Cal. 78-1. Dated examples run from the 1970s through the 1980s.

Is the 78091 an Ellipse or a Gondole?

An Ellipse. Antiquorum, Craft + Tailored and Amsterdam Watch Company catalog the 78091 as an Ellipse, and Phillips names it as the larger Ellipse beside the 67081. Loupe This lists it as the Ellipse Gondole or Gondole Ellipse, and Analog/Shift has offered one as the Ellipse Gondole. Craft + Tailored names the Gondole as a separate sibling launched alongside the Ellipse, so the number on the back is the safer guide than the name on a listing.

How do I tell the 78091 from the small Ellipse Ref. 67081?

By size and movement. The 78091 measures about 32 × 29 mm and runs on the Cartier Cal. 78-1; the 67081 measures about 26 × 23 mm and runs on the Cal. 2412. Phillips calls the 67081 the smaller version of the 78091, and Amsterdam Watch Company sells the two as the Ellipse GM and PM.

What movement is in the 78091?

The hand-wound Cartier Cal. 78-1, as Loupe This, Amsterdam Watch Company and Phillips give it. Amsterdam Watch Company describes it as based on the ETA 2512, and Antiquorum catalogs it as cal. 2512-1. A quartz movement is not original to this reference.

What should I check before buying a 78091?

The number 78091 at the start of the case number on the back; a hand-wound movement signed Cartier; a white enamel dial signed Paris, looking for crazing and cracks, which are common with age, and signs of refinishing, which are not desirable; crisp steps on the case; a blue cabochon crown; and a Cartier gold buckle or deployant clasp in the case metal.

Other Ellipse References

Ref. 67081Photograph wanted
Ref. 67081

Ellipse, Small Model, 18k Gold

18k Yellow Gold · c. 1975–1980s

Back to Ellipse