Supposedly conceived in the 1930s by Louis Cartier for The Pasha of Marrakesh, Thami El Glaoui, as a one-of-a-kind watch that could keep pace with his active lifestyle, the Cartier Pasha is a unique timepiece with a screw-down crown cover that is used to ensure the Pasha's water resistance. Since its re-release in 1985, this crown guard has become the foundation of the Pasha's aesthetic alongside its "Vendôme" type lugs and rotatable bezel.
With the Pasha's emblematic design at the core of its identity, Cartier often leverages novel dial designs as a means to inject a breath of fresh air into the Pasha collection, and with the example I have here. Sporting a stunning salmon dial, this ref. 2353 features the Pasha's signature 3-6-9-12 design with applied Breguet numerals and diamond index hour markers everywhere else which combine to give the watch a wonderfully luxurious look and feel on the wrist. Somewhat understated due to the shimmer of its diamonds, this salmon dial also features some incredible guilloches engravings with Cartier's iconic circular wave-like pattern that somewhat resembles the petals on a flower.
Made of 18ct white gold, this Pasha ref. 2353's beautiful design flows from its emblematic round case and incredible dial right into its wonderfully decorated automatic movement. Covered in Cartier's intertwining C logo and proudly displayed behind a sapphire crystal caseback, the Pasha is a treat off the wrist just as it is on the wrist as it sits snuggly on its navy leather strap. Finished off by its unique diamond-capped screw-down crown cover to match its diamond dial, this Cartier Pasha is unlike the vast majority of Pasha variants we see today and truly breathtaking.