Dial with secret signature

Probable

Cartier micro-prints the word CARTIER inside one stroke of one Roman numeral — most commonly the VII, and on some models the X — at a size requiring magnification to read. It is a deliberate anti-counterfeiting device and it is genuinely difficult to reproduce well, because the letterform has to survive at a scale where printing defects are unavoidable for anyone without Cartier's process.

Part reference

Brand: Cartier
Material: Silvered or lacquered dial with printed Roman numerals
Identifying marks: Under 10x or greater, the letters are individually formed and evenly weighted, contained within the numeral's stroke rather than overlapping it. Counterfeit signatures are typically present but wrong: letters merged into a smear, uneven baseline, or a signature sitting proud of the stroke it should be inside.

Documented variations

Classification

FactoryDocumented as shipped from the factory for this reference and period.PeriodNot original to this watch, but correct for its production period.ServiceFitted by the manufacturer's own service network. Not a defect.AftermarketThird-party part. Affects originality, not authenticity.ModifiedGenuine parts in a configuration the factory did not sell. Affects originality and value, not authenticity.CounterfeitDeceptive reproduction intended to pass as genuine.UnknownEvidence on file does not settle the question.

Correctly executed signature
FactoryProbable
Whole production
Consistent with a genuine dial and consistent with a good counterfeit. This is the point an examiner must hold: a well-made signature raises confidence and settles nothing, because it is the single feature counterfeiters know to get right.
Absent or crudely executed signature
UnknownProbable
Whole production
Strong evidence against the dial — but against the DIAL, not necessarily the watch. Cartier supplies service dials, and some older or lower-priced references may not carry the signature at all, so absence must be checked against what the reference should have before it is treated as a finding.
Service dial
ServiceProbable
Whole production
A dial replaced by Cartier during service carries a correct signature and no original relationship to the watch. An originality finding, not an authenticity one.

Open questions

OpenMissing primary sourceHigh

Whether the secret signature is present across all references and periods

On which Cartier references and from which date is the secret signature actually applied, and are there current or recent references that do not carry one?

Scope Consequential in the direction that produces harm. The catalog records that absence must be checked against what the reference should have before it is treated as a finding — but without a list of which references carry the signature, that check cannot currently be performed, and an examiner could report a genuine unsigned dial as suspect.

Documented on these references

Cartier WGTA0011Factory
Whole production
Cartier WSTA0018Factory
Whole production
Cartier WSSA0018Factory
Whole production
A correct signature is consistent with the watch and does not establish it; a wrong one is evidence against the dial.

Provenance of this record

Sources & Evidence

Primary sourceManufacturer documentation

Cartier — collection and movement specifications

Cartier International

Accessed: 2026-08-18

Cited for

This referenceProbable

View source ↗

Secondary sourceCollector research

Cartier collector research on case numbering, movement supply and house variation

Collector communities and specialist dealers

Accessed: 2026-08-18

Cited for

This referenceProbable

Last verified: Not yet reviewed