What changed hands?
Cartier Cheich Wristwatch. Most valuable Cartier wristwatch ever sold at auction. USD approximate at contemporaneous exchange rate.
The Cheich: a Cartier one-off
The Cartier Cheich is a wristwatch produced as a unique piece, originally created in the 1980s. The white-gold example sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong for HK$26,520,000, approximately $3.4 million at the contemporaneous exchange rate. Its rarity — a single known example — and its distinctive design made it a singular object in the Cartier market.
The most expensive Cartier wristwatch ever
The result established the Cheich as the most valuable Cartier wristwatch ever sold at auction, surpassing all previous Cartier wristwatch records. The sale was part of Sotheby's Hong Kong watch auction in September 2026. The USD figure is approximate, calculated at the exchange rate prevailing on the sale date, and reflects the premium-inclusive hammer price.
Read the number carefully
An auction result captures a particular object, a particular sale and the buyers competing on that occasion. It does not establish the value of every similar object, or what this one would sell for today.
Our selection keeps historical results separate from asking prices and estimates. Where the cited report does not break out fees, we say so rather than inventing a hammer price.
Sale documentation: Jewelers Trend — Cartier Cheich record ↗
What does “source reviewed” mean?
We checked the published report against the amount and object listed here. That does not independently authenticate the object or confirm settlement of the transaction.
