Cartier · Must de Cartier 21

Must de Cartier 21, Mid-Size, Steel

Ref. 1340c. 1998

The Must de Cartier 21 Ref. 1340 is the 28 mm mid-size Must 21 in stainless steel, with a chapter ring bezel, a silvered dial and a signed Cartier quartz movement, dated c. 1998 by a Cartier guarantee.

Have this watch?

We’re still gathering public results for Ref. 1340, so there’s no honest number to show yet.

We’re opening a small panel of specialist dealers soon. Leave your email and we’ll write once, when they’re ready to bid on your watch. Nothing else.

Reference photography unavailable.

Want to sponsor this reference with your studio photography? Become a sponsor

Specifications

Reference
1340
Mid-size, stainless steel or steel and gold, quartz
Year
c. 1998
Fellows sold one with a guarantee booklet dated November 1998; no source we opened gives a first or last year of production
Movement
Quartz
Signed Cartier quartz; Fellows catalogs the Cal. 690 on two examples and the Cal. 90 and Cal. 90.06 on two others
Case
28 mm, Stainless Steel
Dial
Silvered
Silvered dial inside a chapter ring bezel
Hands
Not described in the catalogs consulted
Not described in the catalogs consulted
Crystal
Sapphire
Bukowskis lists a sapphire crystal
Strap
Steel or bi-color bracelet
Signed bracelet with a double folding clasp, in stainless steel or steel and gold

Visual Description

The Ref. 1340 is the mid-size Must 21: a round stainless steel case with a chapter ring bezel, a silvered dial and a signed bracelet with a double folding clasp. Fellows measures it at 28 mm on two lots and 27 mm on two others, and Bukowskis titles its example 28 mm. The all-steel version has a steel bracelet; others pair the steel case with a bi-color chapter ring bezel, a bi-color bracelet or both. Bukowskis lists a sapphire crystal. The catalogs we consulted do not describe the hands.

Reference Significance

The 1340 is one of the two four-digit references of the Must 21 that auction houses catalog repeatedly, beside the 31 mm Ref. 1330. Fellows has sold it at least four times between 2016 and 2023, and Bukowskis once, in 2024. Unlike the earliest Must 21 watches, whose nine-digit case numbers begin 9010 or 9011, the 1340 prints its reference separately from a lettered serial.

Historical Context

The Must 21 was introduced in 1989, according to La Souveraine's catalog. The earliest dated Ref. 1340 we found is the all-steel example Fellows sold in 2016, serial PL167592, whose guarantee booklet is dated November 1998. Every 1340 we found has a serial beginning PL. No source we opened gives a first or last year for the reference.

What to Look For

Case back: Read the reference 1340 and the serial; on the examples we found the serial begins PL.

Movement: A signed Cartier quartz movement. Fellows records the Cal. 690, the Cal. 90 and the Cal. 90.06 on different examples, so a different caliber number alone is not a warning sign.

Bracelet and clasp: Fellows noted stretched links on several examples. Check the links for play and the double folding clasp for a firm close; on bi-color bracelets, check the gold-colored links for wear at the edges.

Case: Look for dents along the case side and for scratches on the chapter ring bezel. Fellows recommends resealing by a qualified watchmaker whenever the case back has been opened.

Papers: A Cartier guarantee or certificate is the best way to date a 1340, as on the Fellows example dated November 1998. Bukowskis sold one with its box and an uncompleted certificate.

Known Variants

Documented dial, case, and bracelet variations of Ref. 1340.

All Steel

Stainless steel case, chapter ring bezel and signed stainless steel bracelet with a double folding clasp. Fellows sold one, serial PL167592, on the Cal. 90.06 with a guarantee booklet dated November 1998.

c. 1998 (dated example)Documented at auction

Steel with Bi-Color Chapter Ring

Stainless steel case with a bi-color chapter ring bezel and a signed bi-color bracelet, cataloged by Fellows at 28 mm on the Cal. 90, serial PL198824. Bukowskis lists a 28 mm 1340 in steel and gold, serial PL316541, with its box and certificate.

Documented at auction

Steel with Bi-Color Bracelet

Stainless steel case and chapter ring bezel on a bi-color or bi-metal bracelet, cataloged by Fellows twice at 27 mm on the Cal. 690, serials PL257031 and PL46320.

Documented at auction

How to tell it apart

What separates a Ref. 1340 from its neighbors, and what to check before you buy or sell one.

What is the Must de Cartier 21 Ref. 1340?

The mid-size Must 21: a round stainless steel case about 28 mm wide with a chapter ring bezel, a silvered dial, a signed Cartier quartz movement and a signed bracelet with a double folding clasp, in all steel or with bi-color steel and gold elements. Fellows sold one with a Cartier guarantee booklet dated November 1998.

Is the Ref. 1340 27 mm or 28 mm?

Catalogs give both. Fellows measured two examples at 28 mm and two at 27 mm, and Bukowskis titles its example 28 mm. The difference is most likely one of measuring method rather than two case sizes, since all five lots describe the same steel case with a chapter ring bezel.

Which movement is in the Ref. 1340?

A signed Cartier quartz movement. Fellows catalogs the Cal. 690 on two examples, the Cal. 90.06 on the one with the 1998 guarantee and the Cal. 90 on another; Bukowskis prints Cal. 069. Open the case back or ask for the service record to see which one a watch carries.

How does the Ref. 1340 differ from the Ref. 1330?

By size. Fellows and Bonhams catalog the Ref. 1330 as the 31 mm Must 21, in stainless steel or steel and gold, on the quartz Cal. 690 or Cal. 90.06. The 1340 is the mid-size, about 28 mm, with the same chapter ring bezel.

How does the Ref. 1340 differ from the earliest Must 21 watches?

Early Must 21 watches carry a nine-digit case number beginning 9010 or 9011, such as 901038068 on a steel and gold example Antiquorum sold, and catalogs describe them in sizes from 30 to 35 mm. The 1340 prints its four-digit reference with a separate serial that begins with two letters, PL on every example we found.

What should I check before buying a Ref. 1340?

The case back for the reference 1340 and a serial; a bracelet without stretched links, which Fellows noted on several examples; a double folding clasp that closes firmly; dents along the case side; and a quartz movement that runs. Fellows recommends resealing by a qualified watchmaker once the case back has been opened. A Cartier guarantee or certificate dates the watch.

Other Must de Cartier 21 References

Ref. 1330Photograph wanted
Ref. 1330

Must de Cartier 21, 31 mm, Steel

Stainless Steel · c. 2001

Back to Must de Cartier 21