The UK fake Cartier Crash, often incorrectly called the Dali watch, dates back to 1967. That is just 55 years ago, which isn’t that long ago at all considering what this watch brought about. When the watch was launched, Cartier New York, Cartier Paris, and Cartier London were still designing their own models. The luxury replica Cartier Crash was one of the Cartier London designs and, therefore, only sold in the UK at that time. International sales would have been difficult since only a few pieces of the first version were made.
Interestingly, perfect replica Cartier London designed and released many different models featuring their own typography style. Among them were several versions of the Tank. Despite the fact that, of course, the famous Roman numerals were used, the British designers preferred typography that looked bolder than we see today. The result was often a very strong and recognizable style, and though it differed from Cartier Paris’s look and still does, it was always unmistakably AAA fake Cartier.
How did the Crash come to be?
There have been several stories regarding the inception of the best 1:1 fake Cartier Crash. For a long time, many people (including yours truly) believed that the origins stemmed from a customer who brought a watch to the London New Bond Street boutique for repair after the timepiece was involved in a car crash. However, Francesca Cartier-Brickell, the granddaughter of Jean-Jacques Cartier (head of top super clone Cartier London at the time), finally set the story straight.
In her bestselling book The high quality replica Cartiers: The Untold Story of the Family Behind the Jewelry Empire, she explains that her grandfather came up with the idea to modify the Maxi Oval case design to look as though it had been in a crash. He then worked closely with Swiss made replica Cartier designer Rupert Emmerson to make his vision a reality. I think it’s safe to say that this is how the now-famous Crash watch came to life, and I am thrilled that the mystery is finally solved with the help of the most trusted source we can think of. Thank you, Francesca Cartier-Brickell!
For a long time, the cheap fake Cartier London Crash watch could still be found for decent prices. I remember that watch dealer/collector Eric Ku saw the beauty of the watch at an early stage. He was probably the first contemporary watch collector to add the original London model to his private collection.
Believe it or not, the best replica Cartier London Crash faced a “copycat” fairly soon after its release. In the 1960s, the small British watch brand Churchill Watch Co had the courage to release its own version of the Crash watch in both yellow and white gold. And while this much larger (and actually really good-looking) watch didn’t appeal that much to collectors, it was, with its 52mm length, a perfect men’s size that looked extremely good on the wrist. Only a few years ago, these top super clone watches could still be picked up for around $5K on eBay and Chrono24. But collectors learn fast, and the Churchill Crash is impossible to find through these channels nowadays.
Honey, I shrunk the Crash
About 25 years later, in 1991, the Swiss movement fake Cartier Crash watch was internationally re-released by Cartier Paris in a slightly smaller case. The release saw a batch of 400 pieces. One of the last times that copy Cartier Paris UK officially released a very small run of the Crash watch was in 1997. That year, La Maison released 13 Crash watches in yellow gold to mark the re-opening of the flagship store at 13 Rue de la Paix in Paris. Other than that, Swiss replica Cartier only produced the Crash now and then as a special order set with diamonds and presented as a ladies’ model. And don’t forget the most recent diamond-set version that was shown at Watches And Wonders 2022 (pictured above). Despite the Paris version’s 22.5mm × 38mm dimensions, the original London version was slightly larger, measuring 23mm × 43mm. Yes, the Cartier Crash replica for sale was originally created as a men’s model!
At that time, the difference between the men’s and women’s collections was much more important than it is today. Thank God that men nowadays are slowly daring to wear a watch this small and funny-shaped. It may surprise you, but the Crash is still bought mostly by men. For the real collector, a London Crash watch was the only version to get. Some men, however, waited for the long-rumored launch of a newer and more massive Crash. This finally happened in January 2015 at SIHH in Geneva when Cartier fake online uk presented a limited edition of 67 pieces in platinum.
The release was quite a surprise because it was a best quality replica Cartier Crash Skeleton. It featured an in-house caliber that had been specially redesigned to fit the bizarre shape of the Crash watch. The overwhelming success caused Cartier fake Paypal UK to decide to launch another batch of 67 pieces, but now in pink gold. This happened just one year later in 2016. Of course, I absolutely adored the platinum model, which, unfortunately, did not fit within my budget. I often regret that I could not have found a way to make it work. In 2018, top quality fake Cartier launched a new model called the Crash Radieuse in a limited edition of 50 pieces.
London calling
With its unconventional dial and diamond-set crown, it was a model that focused more or less on the women’s market. Of course, the Radieuse sold out pretty quickly, but it didn’t garner the exorbitant success that all other models experienced. But 2019 was a very important year for the best fake Cartier Crash. I will never forget the moment that Philippa Samii Rosenschein, head of the New Bond Street boutique’s watch department, showed me a new version of the wholesale replica Cartier London Crash in yellow gold that was about to become available in early 2019. It was a great re-design of the original London model in yellow gold, but now with “Swiss Made” on the dial instead of the magic word “London.”
Many collectors lament the “Swiss Made” on the dial, but this is a formal and unavoidable marking. This new cheap fake Cartier Crash watch was presented as a limited edition of 67 pieces in yellow gold with a creamy guilloché dial. However, this great reissue was only available from the London boutique, and the watches were not available all at once. Every month, the London boutique would have one piece available for one of its lucky clients who had placed an order for it. As you can imagine, it did not take long before all the 67 pieces were spoken for. Many of my Instagram copy watch friends got the piece, and I have seen them wearing it proudly. But some other others who did not order during the first weeks are still waiting for delivery of theirs.