Seated next to Lewis Hamilton in the front row of the LV show was acclaimed hip-hop artist Tyler, the Creator – another Pharrell collaborator and arguably Pharrell’s biggest fan. Like Pharrell, Tyler has also dabbled in fashion, through his Golf le Fleur clothing label and collabs with Vans and Converse.
Tyler’s also become something of a watch fancier, and he’s got a particular love for vintage 1:1 replica Cartier. He’s been spotted at more than a few vintage watch auctions bidding on Cartier lots and we’ve seen him flex a luxury fake Cartier Tank Obus Quadrant on the red carpet before.
This time, he wore a Swiss made replica Cartier Pebble: an unusual and obscure Cartier with a spherical case and diamond-shaped face. First released in 1972 (although only six examples are known to have been produced), the Pebble was re-released in a limited edition of 150 last year. It’s not clear whether Tyler’s is one of the OGs or from the rerelease (it’s probably the latter), but in any case, it’s an aaa quality fake watch that’s demonstrative of his impeccable taste.
The perfect replica Cartier Crash has been the world’s hottest watch for the last few years now. It kicked off 2022 with a million-dollar-plus auction and kept showing up on Tyler, the Creator (and many other celebrities).
Now, the luxury fake Cartier Pebble seems to be following in the shape-shifting Crash’s footsteps. The Pebble (or “Baseball”) has, like the Crash, vastly exceeded expectations at auction over the past couple of years. As far back as the summer of 2021, different versions of the Pebble have brought in $250,000, $290,000, and $405,000, blowing way past their presale estimates. Swiss movement copy Cartier claims only six pieces of the watch were originally produced (which makes it odd to see so many trading hands in a relatively short period of time). Luckily, the brand quietly reissued 150 more Pebbles last year.
Tyler, the Creator was, meanwhile, one of the lucky collectors to get a 1:1 replica Cartier Pebble. Over the past couple of years, Tyler has become a prolific Cartier collector, popping up at an auction house’s dedicated AAA super clone Cartier sale in Monaco and on John Goldberger’s Instagram account. “I based a lot of my watch taste just off of how light it feels and how it could be colorful, too,” he told Robb Report last year. “I’ve seen some Rolexes, vintage ones, I really like, but aside from that, I’m just OK with the high quality replica Cartiers. They bring me joy.”
In October of 2022, AAA quality fake Cartier announced the limited-edition re-release of one of its lesser known designs, the Pebble. Prior to last year’s revival, only six examples of the Pebble are estimated to have been released by the brand. Also known as the “Baseball” for its round case shape, the luxury replica Cartier Pebble design was released in 1973, just six years after the release of the now celebrity-favorited Crash. Today, at a time when vintage-inspiration is inseparable from contemporary design, the Pebble is back and bringing all of its historic flare along.
Little has changed about the overall design of the 1:1 fake Cartier Pebble in its revival. It still sports a round, yellow gold case, though this time opting for a diameter of 36mm, a 0.5mm increase from the diameter of the original. The case is not circular on its edge and flat on either side like many watches are, however, instead it takes a rounded shape until the point it meets the dial, mimicking the shape of a pebble. Completing the design is a small fluted crown set with a blue sapphire, a detail that is familiar to the Swiss made replica Cartier design code.
Perhaps most recognizable about the time-tested cheap fake Cartier Pebble design is its tilted square dial against the silhouette of the round case. The dial has rounded corners to maintain the softness of the case design, also helping to offset its unusual off-kilter orientation. In true top copy Cartier fashion, the eggshell colored dial is decorated only with Roman numeral indices and a square minute-indicating track. The rich blue hue of the sword-shaped hands elegantly ties in the sapphire on the crown.
Inside the coveted pebble-like case ticks the hand-wound 430MC. It is a time-only mechanism based off of the caliber 430P, and has become a frequented choice for high quality Cartier replica watches. The new Pebble sits at only 6.3mm high on the wrist, a svelte height made possible by the ultra-thin 2.1mm footprint of the movement. When fully wound, the caliber 430MC offers a power reserve of 38 hours.
Limited to 150 examples, the Swiss movement copy Cartier Pebble (ref. WGPB0003) became available for purchase in November 2022 with pricing marked at $44,700.
