The Cartier watch created for such a brutal race that only one person ever received it

You’ll have heard of exclusive watches before, but this Cartier watch, the Cartier Cheich, is so rare that only one person has ever received it – and he got it after completing a brutal race.

Only four were ever made.

They were created as a reward for the original Paris-Dakar rally back in the 1980s, with one being awarded to Belgian motocross legend, Gaston Rahier.

For decades, this watch would go out of public view until it re-emerged at auction in 2022.

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This Cartier watch is exceptionally rare and was created for a brutal race

Cartier created four of these watches – three to be awarded, and one for its own archives.

These watches were made as an award for the legendary ‘Challenge Trophy’, reserved for a competitor who could win the Paris-Dakar rally twice.

And believe us, that’s no easy feat.

This grueling race would see competitors race across France, Algeria, Niger, Mali, and Senegal, over the span of several weeks.

But one man managed to do it – motocross legend, Gaston Rahier.

He won the rally in both 1984 and 1985 on a BMW motorcycle, making him the only rider to have back-to-back victories in the same class.

For his impressive achievement, he was gifted the Cartier Cheich.

This watch has desert vibes written all over it.

The asymmetric case pays homage to the watch’s namesake – the ‘cheich’ headwrap worn by Tuareg riders to shield them from sand and the brutal desert heat.

It’s a masterful design, evoking the sense of wrapped fabric.

What better way to remember your time racing through the desert than with this watch?

We’ve seen watches with distinctive shapes before – remember the MB&F HM3 ‘Frog’?

After the Cartier Cheich was awarded to Rahier, it disappeared from public view for decades.

It re-emerged in 2022, when it went up for auction at Sotheby’s.

How much did this watch sell for when it went up for auction?

When it went up for auction at Sotheby’s Paris Fine Watch, this Cartier watch fetched a record amount – $1.1 million.

This was way above its $400,000 estimate.

Certainly pricier than these NASA watches that weren’t quite so bank account-busting.

But if you’re expecting to see the other Cheich watches go up for sale at any point in the future, don’t hold your breath.

One was never awarded because no other consecutive winner emerged, whilst another was believed to have been awarded to Hubert Auriol, a French motorbike race driver, but is now considered lost.

At any rate, they won’t be showing up anytime soon.

That makes the new owner of the Cartier Cheich a very lucky watch wearer indeed.

We love a watch with character that stands out from all the others.

You might recall the $920,000 Swan Lake watch was of similar boldness – check it out here.

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