206 Cartier Extremely Rare and Absolutely Sought-After, Asymmetric Wristwatch in White Gold, With Black Arabic and Baton Numerals Dial, Former Property of the John Goldberger Collection

Estimate: €70,000 –⁠ 140,000

Model: Asymmetric
Case Material: White Gold
Bracelet Material: Leather Strap
Year: 1950s
Movement: Manual
Caliber: 8
Case N°: 33299
Movement N°: 202696
Dimensions: 23 × 36 mm
Signed: Dial, movement and case
Literature: This specific watch is published in Giorgio Seragnoli’s Book edited by Osvaldo Patrizzi “White—Cartier—Bianco” at page 171

The Asymmetric was first launched by Cartier in 1936 and represented quite a radical departure from normal round case shapes, and for that matter, for rectangular watches as well. Also known as the Paralélogramme due to the likeness of its shape to its namesake, this model originally came in a number of different versions, and since 1936, it has been revisited by Cartier on several occasions. With both the case and the dial shifted of 30 degrees, the original Tank Asymétrique was supposedly introduced as a way of easing the task of reading at the time. If you raise your wrist to check the time, the part of the lozenge with the 12 is uppermost. The specimen here offered is absolutely astonishing for its beauty and definitely striking for its rarity. Well balanced with an elegant sense of proportion, the white-gold case is finely preserved and presents two additional lugs (one on each side) that can steadily fix the strap. The most important feature is surely the rarely seen before in such a case black dial with painted Arabic numerals and indexes. The Paralélogramme perfectly encapsulates Cartier’s design ethos of the 20th century and illustrates how the brand constantly pushed the boundaries of form and design. It joins mythic models such as the Cintrée, Crash, Baignoire Allongée, all of which are cornerstones of Cartier’s brilliant history.