Happenings: Dover Street Market LA To Hold Exhibition Of Rare Cartiers

February 06, 2020

When I think of Dover Street Market, the multi-brand retailer started by Comme des Gar?ons founder Rei Kawakubo, I think of edgy displays containing wares from the likes of Maison Margiela, Supreme, Common Projects, and of course Comme des Gar?ons. What I don't think of are highly collectible vintage watches crafted by old-world luxury marques, but perhaps I should. The Tank is a fashion icon, and Cartier is a brand that has appealed to generations of stylish people. From?tomorrow, February 7, to February 19, Dover Street Market Los Angeles will host an exhibition of rare Cartier watches curated by the British jeweler Harry Fane, a specialist in rare and collectible Cartier timepieces. This is Fane's fourth vintage Cartier exhibition with Dover Street, with previous engagements including stops at the store's locations in London, Tokyo, and Singapore. ? Left to right: Tank Cintre (Steve McQueen), c. 1967; Small Tank Cintre, 1968/69; Tank Cintre, 1952. Fane's next exhibition will consist of 36 watches, all for sale, a truly impressive assemblage of vintage Cartier that includes mostly Tanks. Because so few were made, Cartier watches from 1965 and earlier have a well-earned reputation for being difficult to find in any great number. So, if you've ever wanted to view several of them in one place, and you happen to be in LA this month, this is your chance.?Fane has also included rare Cartier Paris pieces from the '70s and some Cartier London models, as well as an example of a gold-plated Cintre model that became known as the Steve McQueen because the actor wore one in the original The Thomas Crown Affair. Cartier/LeCoultre Reverso, circa 1947. Other highlights include several examples of the Tank Normale as well as a Cartier Crash and a Cartier-branded Reverso. The Crash famously began production in London during the swinging '60s, but this particular example was one of the first to be made in Paris, in 1990.? "When you look at the history of the Cartier watch and you look at the people who wore them, whether it be Muhammad Ali or Jackie Onassis or Marlene Dietrich or Cary Grant or Kanye West, [who] wears a vintage Cartier Crash. When you look at all the people who wore them, the demand for these watches was from the very elite, and it's quite interesting," says Fane. Vintage Cartier Exhibition, Dover Street Market LAFebruary 7 to 19Dover Street Market Los Angeles608 Imperial StreetLos Angeles, CA 90021