What is the Pasha Ref. W30012?

A 38 mm Pasha in 18k yellow gold with an automatic movement that strikes the minutes on gongs and shows a perpetual calendar: subsidiary dials for the day, the date and the month with leap year, and an aperture for the moon phases. The repeater is set off by a sapphire-set button at 9 o'clock. Antiquorum and Phillips count 26 jewels.

How is the W30012 different from the Ref. 0975?

Both are 38 mm automatic perpetual calendar Pashas in yellow gold with a moon phase. The W30012 adds a minute repeater with a sapphire-set button at 9 o'clock and carries a small individual number, while the 0975 has no repeater, runs on the Cartier Cal. 039 and carries a case number in an M or MG series.

What should the case back of a W30012 read?

The reference W30012 with a small individual number rather than a long serial: catalogs record No. 03, No. 04, No. 12, No. 14, No. 35, No. 59, No. 75, No. 93 and No. 104. Monaco Legend also gives a case number of 2787 for No. 12, and Christie's prints the reference as W 30012.

Who made the movement?

Phillips notes that the movement of its example is stamped GG for Gérald Genta, and Sotheby's catalogs its example under the names of Gérald Genta and Cartier. Catalogs give different caliber numbers for the movement: Antiquorum printed Cal. 179 and later Cal. 303 for the same No. 35, and Monaco Legend gives cal. 362.

Cartier · Pasha de Cartier

Pasha Minute Repeater Perpetual Calendar, 18k Yellow Gold, Automatic

Ref. W30012c. 1987–2005

The Cartier Pasha Ref. W30012 is a 38 mm 18k yellow gold automatic Pasha with a minute repeater on gongs and a perpetual calendar with moon phases, individually numbered and made c. 1987–2005, with 26 jewels.

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Specifications

Reference: W30012; 38 mm, 18k yellow gold, automatic minute repeater with perpetual calendar and moon phases
Year: c. 1987–2005; Christie's dates one example to circa 1987, Antiquorum two to circa 1988, Monaco Legend two to 1989, Phillips one to circa 1991 and Sotheby's a diamond-set one to circa 2005; no source gives a first or last year
Movement: Automatic; Minute repeater on gongs with perpetual calendar and moon phases, 26 jewels
Case: 38 mm, 18k Yellow Gold
Dial: Silvered, white or mother-of-pearl; Roman numerals on the silvered dials; subsidiary dials for the day, the date and the month with leap year; moon phase aperture
Hands: Blued steel; Luminous lozenge hands
Crystal: Sapphire; Repeater activated by a sapphire-set button at 9 o'clock
Strap: Leather strap or 18k gold Cartier bracelet; Leather strap with an 18k yellow gold Cartier deployant clasp, or an 18k gold brick-link bracelet with a concealed double deployant clasp

Visual Description

The Ref. W30012 is a 38 mm Pasha in 18k yellow gold, about 11 mm thick by Antiquorum's measure, with Vendôme-style lugs, a stepped bezel and a sapphire-set cap over the crown. A second sapphire-set button in the band at 9 o'clock sets off the minute repeater. Antiquorum describes a solid case back on one example and a transparent back held by eight screws on another, and Christie's a sapphire display back.

The dial has four subsidiary indications, for the day, the date and the month with leap year, with the moon phases in an aperture. The earliest examples found have matte silvered dials with painted radial Roman numerals and luminous blued steel lozenge hands; Monaco Legend has sold two of 1989 with white dials, and Christie's, Antiquorum and Sotheby's have cataloged mother-of-pearl dials.

Reference Significance

The W30012 combines two complications in the 38 mm Pasha case: a minute repeater striking on gongs and a perpetual calendar with moon phases. Its neighbor, the Ref. 0975, is a 38 mm gold automatic perpetual calendar without a repeater.

Each example carries a small individual number instead of a serial. Phillips notes that the movement of its example is stamped GG for Gérald Genta.

Historical Context

The examples found are dated from about 1987 to about 2005: Christie's dates No. 03 to circa 1987, Antiquorum No. 04 and No. 35 to circa 1988, Monaco Legend No. 12 and No. 14 to 1989, Phillips No. 93 to circa 1991 and Antiquorum No. 104 to 1991. Sotheby's dates a diamond-set example, No. 75, to circa 2005. Monaco Legend has also sold a platinum example numbered 1, dated 1988. No source found gives the year the reference was introduced or how many were made.

What to Look For

Check that the case back reads W30012 with an individual number, and ask for a demonstration of the repeater and a photograph of the movement. Catalogs give different caliber numbers for the movement (Cal. 179, Cal. 303, cal. 362), so the number alone does not settle whether a movement is correct; Antiquorum and Phillips count 26 jewels.

Check that the calendar indications advance together, that the sapphire cabochons on the crown cap and repeater button are in place, and whether the bezel and lugs are diamond-set, as on the mother-of-pearl examples Antiquorum and Sotheby's have sold.

Known Variants

Documented dial, case, and bracelet variations of Ref. W30012.

Silvered Roman Numeral Dial

Matte silvered dial with painted radial Roman numerals and four subsidiary dials, cataloged by Antiquorum on No. 04 and No. 35, both made circa 1988, and by Christie's on No. 03 of circa 1987.

c. 1987–1988Documented at auction

White Dial on Gold Bracelet

White dial on an 18k gold Cartier brick-link bracelet with a concealed double deployant clasp, cataloged by Monaco Legend on No. 12 and No. 14, both dated 1989.

1989Documented at auction

Mother-of-Pearl Dial

Mother-of-pearl dial, cataloged by Christie's on an example of circa 1989, by Antiquorum on No. 104 of 1991 with a diamond-set bezel and lugs, and by Sotheby's on diamond-set No. 75 of circa 2005.

c. 1989–2005Documented at auction

Platinum

Platinum case on a white gold bracelet with a white dial, numbered 1 and dated 1988, sold by Monaco Legend, which prints the reference as W30012 in the title and W30021 in the specifications.

1988One example found

How to tell it apart

What separates a Ref. W30012 from its neighbors, and what to check before you buy or sell one.

What is the Pasha Ref. W30012?: A 38 mm Pasha in 18k yellow gold with an automatic movement that strikes the minutes on gongs and shows a perpetual calendar: subsidiary dials for the day, the date and the month with leap year, and an aperture for the moon phases. The repeater is set off by a sapphire-set button at 9 o'clock. Antiquorum and Phillips count 26 jewels.
How is the W30012 different from the Ref. 0975?: Both are 38 mm automatic perpetual calendar Pashas in yellow gold with a moon phase. The W30012 adds a minute repeater with a sapphire-set button at 9 o'clock and carries a small individual number, while the 0975 has no repeater, runs on the Cartier Cal. 039 and carries a case number in an M or MG series.
What should the case back of a W30012 read?: The reference W30012 with a small individual number rather than a long serial: catalogs record No. 03, No. 04, No. 12, No. 14, No. 35, No. 59, No. 75, No. 93 and No. 104. Monaco Legend also gives a case number of 2787 for No. 12, and Christie's prints the reference as W 30012.
Who made the movement?: Phillips notes that the movement of its example is stamped GG for Gérald Genta, and Sotheby's catalogs its example under the names of Gérald Genta and Cartier. Catalogs give different caliber numbers for the movement: Antiquorum printed Cal. 179 and later Cal. 303 for the same No. 35, and Monaco Legend gives cal. 362.
What should I check before buying a W30012?: That the case back carries W30012 and an individual number; that the repeater strikes cleanly when the button at 9 o'clock is pressed; that all calendar indications advance together; that the sapphire cabochons on the crown cap and the repeater button are present; and whether a diamond-set bezel or lugs are listed, since catalogs record diamond-set examples with mother-of-pearl dials as well as plain gold ones.