Visual Description
The Ref. 1120 is the small Panthère in stainless steel and 18k yellow gold. The case is steel with a gold bezel, 21 to 22 mm wide and 29 to 30 mm long, with a screwed case back and a crown set with a blue cabochon. It runs into a steel and gold bracelet that closes with a signed double folding clasp.
The dial is cream, white or silvered, with Roman numerals, a railroad minute track and Cartier's secret signature, read by blued steel sword hands under a sapphire crystal. Leland Little records the secret signature at 10 o'clock.
Reference Significance
The 1120 is the small steel and gold Panthère of the 1990s. Its size, metals and movement match the Ref. 166921, which is dated from 1984 to 1993, so the number on the case back tells an owner which page is theirs. The Ref. 1320 is the same small size in stainless steel alone.
Historical Context
Cartier introduced the Panthère in 1983. Dated 1120s run from about 1990 to 1998: Artcurial catalogs one as made about 1990, and Amsterdam Watch Company dates another to about 1998.
What to Look For
Case back: It should read 1120 followed by a serial number, as on the examples Leland Little and Hindman cataloged with serials beginning PL. A number beginning 166921 or 66921 points to the Ref. 166921.
Bracelet and clasp: The steel and gold bracelet should have all its links and a signed double folding clasp that closes firmly. Leland Little offered one with its extra links.
Dial, hands and crown: The Roman numerals and the secret signature should be crisp, the hands blued steel, and the blue cabochon in the crown intact.
Movement: It should be quartz and running. Fellows catalogs it as the Cal. 157.
