Pasha’s Story
A GLIMPSE AT THE STORY THAT INSPIRED ONE OF CARTIER’S MOST ICONIC CREATIONS AND THE PASHA’S JOURNEY THROUGH THE DECADES FOLLOWING ITS DEBUT
A glimpse at the story that inspired one of Cartier’s most iconic creations and the Pasha’s journey through the decades
Throughout its long and rich history, Maison Cartier has introduced quite a few iconic—and much beloved—watch collections. There’s the Santos de Cartier, obviously; then there’s also the various Tank variants, also the unique Crashwatch and many more, especially when we go into the realm of ladies’ watches. 2020, however, is most definitely the year of Pasha de Cartier.
While perhaps newer than many other Cartier watch collections, the Pasha excels in its own right with an emblematic design and an intriguing history. Named after the last and greatest Pasha of Marrakech – a lover of fine watchmaking and lifelong customer of Louis Cartier – the Pasha de Cartier might be rather young compared to the likes of the Santos or the Tank, but it has gained quite a cult following its debut. Various iterations introduced in the decades to come would paint a saga that has captivated watch afficionados and collectors alike.
So, on this occasion, we invite you to join us on a trip down memory lane, from the Pasha’s historic origins to its prominent showing this year.
1985: BIRTH
In the archives of Cartier is a watch design from around 1943 with powerful lines, a grid, Arabic numerals, a crown cover and clous carré motif. This became the base of the Pasha de Cartier, which officially made its debut in the middle of the 1980s.
With its round case, the Pasha stood out among Cartier’s oval and rectangle designs. Moving inwards, the dial then displayed a square filigree rail-track. This “square-inside-a-circle” design would become one of the most recognizable hallmarks of the Pasha collection, along with the chained crown and the four bold Arabic numeral indexes at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock.
In the years to come Cartier would release versions of the Pasha with chronographs, moon phase indicators and other complications. But perhaps the most iconic Pasha of this decade—and arguably of all time—is the yellow gold Pasha de Cartier on a Figaro bracelet. That, however, is a story for another time.
THE 1990S
The decade following its debut saw a lot of new features introduced to the Pasha family. And new models too, of course. For the former, steel was introduced as a case material, reinforcing the Pasha’s sporty appeal. Then in 1995, Cartier introduced the Pasha C, which came in a smaller case—35mm—and a sporty H-link bracelet that appealed to a younger crowd.
Several models were then introduced in 1997 in conjunction with Cartier’s 150th anniversary, including the limited-edition Cartier Pasha 150th Anniversary in steel. And speaking of limited releases, the end of the 1990s also saw numerous editions of the Pasha released under the CPCP—Collection Privée, Cartier Paris—umbrella. Of particular note was the Cartier Pasha CPCP Tourbillon powered by the caliber 490 MC movement and featuring a prominent double-C logo on the dial. On the other end of the spectrum was the Cartier Day & Night, inspired by Cartier’s iconic Mystery Clock.
THE 2000S
From the year 2000 and onwards, Cartier’s watchmaking journey took a huge leap forward. For the Pasha, in particular, this was also a period of progress, especially with 2005 marking the 20th anniversary of the original Pasha. A hallmark of this milestone was the release of the Pasha 42. The next year saw the release of the Pasha Seatimer, the sportiest iteration of the model at the time, which built upon the dive watch elements of the original design and added a rubber strap.
2020: TODAY
The Pasha was born during a challenging time. The Quartz Crisis was over but only just and the world was
still recovering from a global recession. Yet the Pasha was a huge success and has since gained a cult following. This year, the world was once again in turmoil and the watch industry was among some of the hardest hit. Yet, earlier this year, Cartier was among the brands showcasing its latest novelties at the online Watches & Wonders 2020 fair. And, of course, there were plenty of new Pasha de Cartier watches on display.
The latest Pasha collection includes quite a few models—with cases in steel, yellow gold, pink gold and set with diamonds—incorporating fine jewelry pieces and fine watchmaking creations with skeletonized construction. They also come with interchangeable straps, a sapphire crystal case-back, a new crown and personalized engraving, all of which are quite sophisticated in terms of functional watchmaking and design details.
Speaking about details, the hallmarks of the Pasha design are of course all present: From square filigree rail-track in the circle of the dial to the four bold Arabic numerals. The chained crown, another signature element of the Pasha, comes in a new version as the designers at Cartier have added increased refinement by equipping the winding crown with a blue spinel or sapphire which is hidden under the fluted crown cover.
Cartier has also unveiled a new customizable engraving that appears under the crown cover and is only revealed when the chained crown is unscrewed. Then there’s an innovative strap in steel, gold or leather that can be interchanged thanks to an adaptation of the Cartierdeveloped QuickSwitch system. Last but not least, this year’s Cartier the Pasha watches are powered by the in-house 1847 MC automatic caliber that can be seen through the sapphire crystal case-back of each timepiece.
The story, however, doesn’t end there as 2020 also saw one of the most special campaigns for the Pasha de Cartier. Featured are five personalities with five different backgrounds, including Academy Award-winner Rami Malek, singer-songwriter and actor Troye Sivan, singer and activist Willow Smith, English-actress Maisie Williams and Chinese rapper-singer-dancer Jackson Wang. Lensed by New York-based photographer Craig McDean, the five stars are seen in a studio posing around a circular installation meant to mirror the Pasha timepiece.
What made the Pasha such a success in the first place— and what has formed the core of the collection—was its extroverted design, non-conformist aesthetics and the fact that it was so edgy. So, Cartier has picked the best group of ambassadors to tell the story of the Pasha watch.