Cartier · Pebble

Pebble, Cartier London, 18k Gold

London Pebblec. 1972–1975

The Cartier London Pebble is a 35–35.5 mm 18k yellow gold manual-wind watch made by Cartier London c. 1972–1975 on the Jaeger-LeCoultre Cal. P838, a square dial set in a rounded case, identified by London hallmarks rather than a reference number.

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Specifications

Reference
London Pebble
Made by Cartier London, London hallmarks for 1972, manual wind
Year
c. 1972–1975
Bonhams and Phillips catalog examples with London hallmarks for 1972; the-cartiers.com writes that known examples carry London hallmarks from 1972 to 1975
Movement
Manual
Jaeger-LeCoultre Cal. P838 with a Glucydur balance, as Bonhams catalogs it; Phillips gives 18 jewels
Case
35–35.5 mm, 18k Yellow Gold
Dial
Cream
A square dial set in the rounded case, with black Roman numerals and a black inner minute track; signed Cartier
Hands
Blued steel
Sword-shaped
Crystal
Not stated in the catalogs consulted
Strap
Leather
Brown Cartier alligator strap on an 18k gold Cartier deployant clasp stamped JC, hallmarked and numbered to match the case

Visual Description

The London Pebble is a round 18k yellow gold case with a square dial set inside it. Phillips describes the design as the contrast between the circle of the case and the square of the dial, and Bonhams as a square within a circle. The case is polished, with hooded lugs and a crown set with a cabochon, and its back is held by four screws.

On the example Bonhams sold, the dial is cream with black Roman numerals, a black inner minute track and blued steel sword hands, signed Cartier. The watch is fitted to a brown Cartier alligator strap with an 18k gold deployant clasp. Bonhams gives the diameter as 35 mm and Phillips as 35.5 mm.

Reference Significance

The Pebble is one of the designs Cartier London made in its own name in the late 1960s and early 1970s, alongside the Crash and the London Baignoire. Like them, it has no reference number. Bonhams and Phillips both identify their examples by London hallmarks, the JC punch mark of Jacques Cartier and a case number repeated on the gold clasp.

Its rarity is the point. Phillips writes that around six examples were made and that the model is in Cartier's heritage collection, and Bonhams that only a handful of pieces are known.

Historical Context

Bonhams writes that Cartier London designed the watch in this period and that it bears the nickname Pebble, or Baseball in the United States. The-cartiers.com dates the example it describes to 1972, under Jean-Jacques Cartier, and records that the case was made at the Wright & Davies workshop in Clerkenwell. It writes that known examples carry London hallmarks from 1972 to 1975, and that the few made came in two sizes, for men and women.

Both auction examples are hallmarked for 1972. Phillips sold case number 1402 in Geneva in May 2021, and Bonhams sold case number 1270, offered on behalf of its original owner, in London in December 2022. Bonhams catalogs the movement as the Jaeger-LeCoultre Cal. P838 with a Glucydur balance, and Phillips as hand-wound with 18 jewels.

Cartier marked the watch's fiftieth anniversary in 2022 with a limited edition of 150 on the Manufacture 430 MC, and its announcement refers to the 1972 model, which now forms part of the Cartier Collection.

What to Look For

Start with the marks. A London Pebble should carry London hallmarks with a date letter, the JC punch mark and a Cartier London case number. On both documented examples the same number is stamped on the 18k gold deployant clasp, as Bonhams and Phillips both record; a clasp with a different number, or none, may be a later replacement.

Open the case to see the movement, which should be a hand-wound Jaeger-LeCoultre caliber; Bonhams records the Cal. P838. A Pebble on the 430 MC is the 2022 reissue, which is numbered out of 150.

Polishing softens the rounded case and can wear down the hallmarks, so check that the marks are legible and the case lines are crisp. Read the date letter yourself rather than relying on a listing's year.

Known Variants

Documented dial, case, and bracelet variations of London Pebble.

Cream Roman Dial

Cream dial with black Roman numerals, a black inner minute track and blued steel sword hands, on a 35 mm case numbered 1270 with an 18k gold JC deployant clasp of the same number, hallmarked London 1972. Bonhams sold it on behalf of the original owner, who bought it from Cartier London in the early 1970s.

1972Documented at auction

Case No. 1402

A 35.5 mm yellow gold example with London hallmarks on the case and English hallmarks for 1972 on its 18k gold Cartier deployant clasp, both numbered 1402, hand-wound with 18 jewels. Phillips cataloged it under the nickname Baseball.

c. 1972Documented at auction

How to tell it apart

What separates the London Pebble from its neighbors, and what to check before you buy or sell one.

What is the Cartier Pebble?

A round 18k gold watch with a square dial, designed and made by Cartier London in the early 1970s and hand-wound on a Jaeger-LeCoultre caliber. Bonhams writes that Cartier London designed the watch that bears the nickname Pebble, and the-cartiers.com credits the design to the London house under Jean-Jacques Cartier, with the case made by hand at the Wright & Davies workshop in Clerkenwell.

Why is it also called the Baseball?

It is the American nickname. Bonhams writes that the watch is called the Pebble, or in the United States the Baseball, and Phillips cataloged one in 2021 under the title Baseball, noting it is nicknamed The Pebble or Baseball because of its appearance.

Does the London Pebble have a reference number?

No. Catalogs identify each watch by its Cartier London case number, repeated on the gold deployant clasp, and by its London hallmarks. Bonhams records the number 1270 on the case and clasp of one example, and Phillips the number 1402 on another.

How many London Pebbles were made?

Very few, though no source gives an exact figure. Phillips writes that research suggests around six examples were made, Bonhams that only a handful are known, and the-cartiers.com that only six large-size examples are believed to exist, with Pebbles made in two sizes for men and women.

Is the Pebble from Sotheby's 1940s sales the same watch?

No. Sotheby's has cataloged two earlier Cartier watches as the Pebble: one of about 1948, 26 mm, with a dial signed Cartier, and one of about 1945, 24 mm, retailed in New York. Both are yellow gold, about 10 mm smaller than the London Pebble, with LeCoultre movements and European Watch & Clock Co. markings rather than London hallmarks. The London Pebble is the 35 mm watch of 1972.

How is the 2022 Pebble different from the original?

Cartier reissued the Pebble in 2022 as a limited edition of 150 individually numbered watches on the hand-wound Manufacture 430 MC; Phillips sold number 71/150 in 2023, cataloging it at 36 mm. The reissue is a modern watch outside Archiva's scope. An original London Pebble carries London hallmarks, the JC punch mark and a Cartier London case number.
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