The Cartier Challenge Award didn't last long. Sabine was killed in a helicopter crash in 1986, and although the Paris-Dakar race continued, Perrin withdrew the challenge and the prize.
At one point, it was reported that only four of the Cartier Cheich watches were produced. When the challenge was announced in 1984, the Cartier brand launched the Cartier Cheich replica watches pair for men and women. After race car driver Gaston Rahier took first prize, the brand went on to create a pair of larger watches as a giveaway replica uhren. The fourth Cartier Cecchi was likely given to Sabine by Palin.
Rahier's watch is a bit different from other watches because it has traditional Cartier orbital minute markers on the dial. Two of the four Cartier Cheichs were not donated. Both watches are currently owned by the brand and will never be sold, while the replica watches owned by Perrin is believed to be lost. As a result, Rahier's Cartier replica watches the only one that fulfills its original purpose: to award the trophy to the winner.
Cartier collectors and aficionados who are familiar with Rahier's Cheich have always considered it one of the rarest and most coveted Cartier watches. Now, nearly 40 years later, Rahier's watches will hit the market for the first time as Sotheby's holds an online auction of "fine watches" in Paris last Friday.
The Cartier Cheich that Rachel won never sold. The replica watches is still owned by the racer and his family. "The replica watches was a direct gift from the Gaston family," said Benoît Colson, watch specialist at Sotheby's Paris. "The watch has never been shown before, nor had it been exhibited before this auction. It is the most precious thing for Gaston, because he only appeared in the Paris-Dakar Rally after Gaston won the Paris-Dakar Rally. Went through it once on TV."
From the photos provided, the 40-year-old watch appears to be in perfect condition with only small details visible near the 6 o'clock mark. Interestingly, this Cartier Cheich has no additional engraving, suggesting that the original purpose of this replica watches created as a replacement for a trophy. The Trophée Paris Alger Dakar below the Cartier signature appears only on the red triangular case of the watch (original).
Sotheby's estimates Rahier's Cartier Cheich at between €200,000 and €400,000, but some Cartier experts and collectors don't think this figure is high. Over the past two years, unique and rare Cartier watches have continued to appear at auction, setting unprecedented price records. The Phillips division sold a 1972 Cartier Pebble for €362,000 at a Geneva auction in spring 2021. Or that no one will ever forget the $1.65 million price tag for a 1967 Cartier London crash on the web. Magnifying glass online auction platform this May. Cartier Cheich is likely to surpass both results.