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Review of the Re-launched Pasha de Cartier Grille 41mm in Yellow Gold
It was a long time wish coming true to acquire my first Cartier timepiece. There are so many excellent choices and I'm so happy to bring home this very special timepiece. Thanks Geo for his encouragement to share my review here.
The Pasha de Cartier was first launched in 1985. The model name came from the Pasha Thami El Glaoui of Marrakech, a region in Morocco. Pasha is the title for a high level lord, outranked only by a sultan. The Pasha of Marrakech (from 1912 to 1956) was very rich and a royal customer of Cartier.
Cartier commissioned Mr. Gerald Genta in 1982 to design various models for Pasha. The goal was to make a sports watch and Mr. Genta was the best designer for the task (you know why). The designs of some complicated Pasha were sold at Sotheby's auction early this year. Pasha is among the iconic Genta designs, together with the Royal Oak, Nautilus and Ingenieur. We may see some pictures of the initial models below.
The first Pasha models were in 38mm cases, in precious metals first, then stainless steel. One of the calibers, 191, was based on Girard-Perregaux caliber 3100. It is interesting that two types of grids were made. One type is flat while the other type has a curved shape. More Pasha models were released including chronograph, GMT, moon-phase, and perpectual calendar. There were models with difference case sizes like 35mm and 42mm.
Picture and captions of the first generation Pasha in Europa Star Magazine in 1986 (one year after the unveiling of Pasha).
A 38mm Pasha from 1987 owned by Geo. Still looking like new today.
A 38mm Pasha in yellow gold from the owner of Instagram account @monaco.watchclub. This model comes with a rotatable bezel. The obvious benefit of having the grid this way is the visibility of the date window.
Cartier paused Pasha production around 2010, as it tried to manage its vast offerings. However, the brand had a lot of requests from clients all over the world for Pasha to come back. Thus, in 2020, Cartier went ahead with the relaunching of the Pasha product line. The timing could not better, as the interests in vintage designs were so great. The case sizes were 35mm and 41mm to fit the modern taste. More models showed up in 2021 and 2022. It is again an entire model line for Pasha.
A wrist shot of Pasha without the grille
Inside the Pasha grille is the caliber 1847 MC, where MC stands for “Manufacture Cartier”. This is a new movement introduced in 2015 with the Cartier Clé collection. 1847 MC powers the latest Santos collection re-designed in 2018 too. Measuring only 3.8 mm thick, it is suitable for thin and elegant watches. The escape mechanism has been designed with non-magnetic components. The power reserve is good for 42 hours, close to 2 full days. The 1847 MC is more plainly finished than Cartier's other manufacture movements. Nothing wrong with that, as it is geared toward stability and performance. Notice that the balance wheel is mounted tightly on a bridge at two points. The rotor incorporates a durable lever system. 100 meters watch resistance.
The timing accuracy of my Pasha was +1.0 secs per day as measured on a time-grapher. Timing error measurements (7/29/2022) were listed below:
Dial up: 0
Dial down: +3
Crown up: +3
Crown down: -1
12 up: 0
12 down: +1
Averaged error: +1.0 secs/day
What an incredible performance! May I say that the 1847 MC is quite like the movements from Rolex and Tudor? Plain looking yet reliable and getting the job done.
Case-back of the Pasha 41mm showing the in-house movement 1847 MC
There are so many iconic watch models produced by Cartier in more than a century of time-span. It is a daunting task for any watch enthusiast to pick her/his first Cartier watch. But it will be a very enjoyable journey for sure. I’m feeling so awesome to bring home the Pasha with a grille as my first Cartier timepiece. I love it very much, as it just ticks so many boxes when choosing a watch to keep for the long term.
First, the quirky, daring and iconic design from Gerald Genta! Mr. Genta recalled that the inspiration for the AP Royal Oak was from memory of diver being fitted with a helmet on Geneva’s Bond de la Machine. The same images might provide the idea for the protective grille for Pasha (see picture below). Making it a removable grid was such a genius idea! The watch turns into a more stately dress watch without the grille. Such a versatile piece!
The name and story behind the Pasha collection are quite fascinating too. It is a catchy name for sure. We watch lovers are suckers for stories.
The new Pasha is powered by an in-house movement with impressive timing accuracy. There are many innovations devoted to the new model, including the new construction for the grille and the easy strap change mechanism. It is a very well built watch with the latest technology know-how.
The new Pasha grille will be relatively rare due to the “One Shot” production. The production is driven by client orders and will last only for a short period of time.
Lastly, the Pasha grille is a fun watch to own! Think about the removable grid, the protective crown cap and the interexchange strap! Not to mention the secret location for engraving that Cartier will do for free.
Review of the Re-launched Pasha de Cartier Grille 41mm in Yellow Gold
Tremendous review of the Pasha …
Thanks a lot, Captain, for the kind words!
Excellent review of this amazing and iconic watch
Thanks!
Thank you for this great review!
Thanks a lot, Geo, for sharing your experience.
Thanks for a very instructive review of a significant model from a brand I admire from afar but never really studied in depth yet (my bad! ;-)
Thank you very much for correcting the spelling for me!
Thanks for an excellent review of the Pasha.
What a stunning piece and it still looks so new!
Newfound appreciation
Thanks for reading and I am really happy to hear that!
