Royal Treatment

A true ’80s cult classic, the Pasha de Cartier makes its comeback this year in a series of revamped models for men and women, ranging from time-only to skeletonised to gem-encrusted iterations

- Abigail Leong

Eighties trends may come and go, but it seems the Pasha de Cartier is a forever classic. More than three decades after its debut, the distinctive and design-forward timepiece is set to return this month in a contemporary incarnation, highlighting two new case sizes of 41mm and 35mm in an array of unisex models that span time-only, skeleton tourbillon, and high jewellery variations.

Created by the “Picasso of watches” Gérald Genta and launched in 1985, the Pasha de Cartier found favour among men and women alike as a powerful status symbol possessing both style and substance. Legend has it the design is based on a bespoke wristwatch commissioned by the Pasha of Marrakech, Thami El Glaoui, nearly a century ago to keep up with his active lifestyle (“pasha” was a title granted to high-ranking officials in the Ottoman Empire), although such a tale has thus far proved unfounded. What cannot be denied, however, is that the Pasha is worthy of royalty.

The coveted chronograph is instantly recognisable for its square-in-a-circle composition, wherein a quadrate railroad minute track sits at the centre of a generously proportioned round dial, with Arabic numerals in Art Deco font at the quarters, Vendome lugs (patented by Louis Cartier) edged with pyramidal Clous de Paris, a date window between 4 and 5 o’clock, and interestingly enough, a screw-down crown cover attached to the case by a petite chain link.