Pasha de Cartier Golf: Double Bogey or Albatross?

Throughout its entire history, there are not many watches that Cartier created, which cause to raise an eyebrow. There are only a few exceptions to this rule, and one of them is a watch that not a lot of watch enthusiasts are familiar with: the Pasha de Cartier Golf. It was among the very first watches that offered the ability to keep score during a game of golf, not only for yourself but also for three of your friends. They are shown through magnified counter-displays on the dial, functioning much in the same way as a large date would.

This is what makes this watch so exceptional, yet in more ways than one. If you play golf, it can definitely come in handy, but to operate all these functions Cartier added four extra buttons, one for each counter. As they are in Pasha-style, so not quite small, they grow the diameter of the watch from a modest 38mm for the case only to a whopping 50mm with the crowns included. Honestly, this gives the Pasha a look you either love or hate.

The Pasha de Cartier Golf also shows the influence Gérald Genta had in those days at Cartier in this collection. Many Pasha-creations also have an equivalent under the Genta brand. This includes the Golf, which Gérald Genta made in several versions, one with a large golf ball on the dial. In many ways is the Genta-version more understated than the Pasha. This is also because Cartier issued the Pasha Golf only in yellow gold and that each of the crowns is set with a different colored cabochon. The thought behind this is that it is easier to differentiate between each pusher and the corresponding player. In the eighties the center of the dial was blue, but in the nineties, Cartier has forgone this and made the entire dial silver. This gave the watch the more traditional look we have grown accustomed with. The watch was sold mainly on a leather strap, but also available with the Figaro-bracelet, as awell as the later H-style bracelet, both in yellow gold.

During the eighties and early nineties, there are other interesting phenomena with Cartier as well. Most of the Genta-Pasha’s come with either a quartz or a mechanical movement, often with a near-identical look. This is the case for the moon phase, the perpetual calendar, and the Golf as well. The quartz version has a closed caseback, while the automatic version shows its mechanical heart through a display back. It is quite surprising that Cartier offered two movement choices in a watch that already seems to cater to a rather narrow niche. I don’t play golf myself, but I do wonder how comfortable it actually is to play this game with this Pasha around the wrist. Yet there is something unique and captivating about this watch that has cast a spell over me since the first time I saw it. It is an eccentric creation, one that puts some of the hallmark design elements of the Pasha in overdrive. To me, this rare creation is an ‘Albatross’ (three-under-par on a single hole) for sure, but I can imagine that some might consider it a ‘Double Bogey’ (two-over-par on a single hole) in Cartier’s history.

Martin Green

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