This Cartier ‘Cheich’ watch could fetch $400,000 at Paris auction. Here's why

The Cartier Cheich watch featured the silhouette of a Tuareg--native to the Sahara Desert--wearing a “cheich,” a scarf worn around the head for protection against the sun and dust storms. (Image credit: @DevDocsBrian/Twitter)

The Cartier Cheich, which is considered as much a trophy as a watch, is expected to fetch $400,000 during the Sotheby auction in Paris. This is the first time in 40 years that the timepiece will appear in public.

The uniquely designed Cartier Cheich watch is considered a trophy because it was awarded to Gaston Rahier who won two consecutive Paris-Dakar races in 1984 and 1985 in what was known as the Cartier Challenge--a feat believed to be impossible until the Belgian motorcycle racer aced it making him the first and only winner of the Cartier Challenge, Forbes reported.

His family is now offering the timepiece for auction.

What makes the Cartier Cheich unique?
The Cartier Cheich, designed by Jacques Diltoer, former creative director of Cartier and then Cartier president Alain-Dominique Perrin, was inspired by the race’s logo. It featured the silhouette of a Tuareg--native to the Sahara Desert--wearing a “cheich,” a scarf worn around the head for protection against the sun and dust storms.

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What is the Paris-Dakar race?The Paris-Dakar race was a grueling 10,000-kilometre race from Paris through the Sahara Desert to the Dakar, Senegal. It was open to both amateurs and professionals in different categories: cars, trucks and motorcycles, Forbes stated. At a time when completing the race was considered an achievement, Rahier won it twice.

There were two Cartier Cheich watches designed in 1983-- one each for a male and female winner. While the male timepiece was awarded to Rahier, the smaller female watch was never awarded no one else won the race two consecutive times.

The company did create two more such watches-- one for another possible future champion while the fourth is considered lost, leaving Rahier’s watch as the only one available on the market.

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