Attention all Cartier fanatics: here's a chance to cop the rare Pebble watch, first designed in 1972 by Cartier London. Credit: Cartier

While there are many storied horology houses, Cartier has always had a unique shine due to the maison’s penchant for unusual shapes. Think the recently released cushion-shaped Coussin, the bell-shaped Cloche, the architectural marvel Maillon de Cartier, and of course, the idiosyncratic Crash.

The latest to join (or re-join, we should say) the Cartier family is the Pebble – a design first launched in 1972 by Cartier London (the English arm of the maison at the time). The Pebble features a square, eggshell-coloured dial set within a markedly round, 18K gold case measuring 36 mm, that is nicely set with Cartier’s signature Roman numerals and blued sword-shaped hands.

Credit:Cartier

The newly re-issued Cartier Pebble is a delightful blend of geometric shapes, featuring a square dial set within a resolutely round 36 mm case.

For the uninitiated, the Cartier London studio (which produced its own designs apart from the brand’s Paris headquarters) is known for its history for coming up with some of Cartier’s most eclectic styles. Just take the Pebble’s older sibling – the psychedelic Crash – which debuted a few years ahead of the former in 1967, and went on to become arguably the maison’s most unorthodox design to date.

As for why Cartier has decided to re-issue this relatively low-profile gem of a timepiece? Well, this year marks the Pebble’s 50th anniversary and it’s much with recent initiatives by Cartier to re-highlight selected icons from its rich history.

Credit:Cartier

The Pebble is a slim one.

The re-issues often try to remain as faithful to the original design as much as possible – in the new Pebble, the main notable difference lies in subtle differences in proportion; the contemporary version features one of Cartier’s flattest hand-wound movements: the Manufacture 430 MC movement (which might explain its svelte side-profile).

The new Pebble will have a limited run of only 150 individually-numbered pieces that come in at $63,500 each.