Watch Paparazzi

Entrepreneur Alan Sugar spotted wearing Cartier

Lord Alan Sugar was recently spotted with a Cartier Calibre de Cartier reference W7100037 on his wrist — a stainless steel automatic that sits comfortably in the upper tier of Cartier's sport-dress category. For a man whose net worth runs into the billions and whose wrist game has included considerably more extravagant pieces, the choice of this particular reference is quietly telling.

The Calibre de Cartier W7100037 debuted as part of the collection Cartier launched in 2010, a line designed explicitly to shift collector perception of the brand from jeweller to serious watchmaker. The ref. W7100037 runs the in-house Calibre 1904 MC movement — a 25-jewel, 28,800 vph automatic with a 48-hour power reserve, built and finished at Cartier's own manufacture. The stainless steel case measures 42mm in diameter with a 11mm thickness, fitted with a black alligator strap and deployant clasp. The silvered guilloché dial with Roman numerals is unmistakably Cartier, but the cushion-shaped case gives it a contemporary edge that separates it from the purely classical Santos or Tank lines.

Among collectors, the Calibre de Cartier occupies an interesting position. It never achieved the cult status of the Santos de Cartier or the Rotonde complications, but it earned genuine respect for the 1904 MC calibre — a movement that demonstrated Cartier's manufacturing credibility without relying on purchased ebauches. The W7100037 in particular, as the entry-level steel automatic within the range, became the accessible gateway into Cartier's manufacture story. Cartier discontinued the Calibre de Cartier collection in 2019 to consolidate its portfolio around the Santos, Panthère, and Drive lines, which has since added a degree of collector interest to the discontinued references.

Lord Sugar, life peer, founder of Amstrad, and the steely-faced arbiter of BBC's The Apprentice, is no stranger to luxury timepieces. His decision to wear the Calibre de Cartier — measured, mechanical, French in its elegance — rather than something louder suggests a preference for substance beneath the surface.

On the grey market, the W7100037 trades at a modest premium or close to its original retail, making it one of the more accessible pre-owned Cartier manufacture pieces available today. Its discontinuation has stabilised values without driving significant appreciation — a solid watch at a fair price, which is more than can be said for many of its contemporaries.