Visual Description
The Ref. 820901 is the Pasha in 18k yellow gold with a smooth bezel. Monaco Legend describes the round case with a blue cabochon screw over the crown, secured to the case by a small chain, and measures it at 37.5 mm. The case back is secured by eight screws.
The dial is silvered or off-white, with Arabic numerals and a date window at 4 o'clock; Sotheby's describes a square inner chapter ring and a magnified date aperture on one example. Catalogs show the watch on a leather strap with an 18k yellow gold Cartier deployant clasp.
Reference Significance
The 820901 is the smooth-bezel version of the gold Pasha of the 1980s. The Ref. 820903 has the same 18k yellow gold case, cabochon-set screw-down crown and cal. 2824-2 with a rotating graduated bezel instead, and is cataloged at 38 mm.
Historical Context
The examples found are dated from 1986 to about 1990. Monaco Legend's, case number 0281, is dated 1986, and one sold by Sotheby's came with a Cartier guarantee dated January 1989. No source found gives the year the reference was introduced or discontinued.
What to Look For
Check that the bezel is smooth and that the case back reads 820901. Catalogs print a four-digit number beside it that varies from watch to watch, and some also print 1988 or 1989; 820901 is the number they share.
Ask for a photograph of the movement, which catalogs give as the cal. 2824-2, and check that the cabochon cap screws down over the crown with its chain in place. Measure the case: Monaco Legend and Sotheby's give 37.5 mm and Artcurial 38.5 mm.
