VINTAGE CARTIER CODEX

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In 1977, Thierry Sabine gets lost on his bike in the Libyan desert during the Abidjan-Nice Rally. Found in extremis, he returns to France subdued by the desert and promises himself to share this passion with a maximum of people. He has then only one objective: to take them into the immensity of sand through a journey from Europe, crossing the most mythical deserts and ultimately leading to Dakar. In 1979, the Paris-Dakar was born. During a lunch, Thierry Sabine announces to the President of Cartier, Alain-Dominique Perrin, that he wishes him to realise a watch that reflects the spirit of its rally.

After considering several creative ways, Alain-Dominique Perrin focuses on the Paris-Dakar logo, the cheich. He then proposed to Thierry Sabine to make it the emblem of this watch and asked Jacques Diltoer - Creative Director of Cartier - to adapt it to a dial. Two "Cheich trois ors" watches were created in yellow, pink and white gold, with a beaded crown set with a cabochon sapphire on a leather bracelet. To win them, Thierry Sabine decided that it was necessary to win the Cartier challenge: to be twice victorious of the Dakar Rally. Two drivers will successfully fulfill this contract: Hubert Auriol, winner in 1981 and 83, and Gaston Rahier who realized this feat in 1984 and 85, both on a motorcycle. "It's the best gift I've ever had in my life" said Gaston Rahier, while Hubert Auriol, according to the witnesses, seemed "ecstatic", praising the originality of the watch. The Cartier challenge unfortunately ended with the accidental death of Thierry Sabine in 1986.

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