Sell your Ballon Bleu · South Florida · by appointment
Sell your Ballon Bleu to a dealer who reads the size and the movement first.
Five case sizes, quartz or automatic, steel to pink gold, and diamonds that may or may not be Cartier's. Send photos and I reply within 1 business day with an offer and the reasons.
- Size and movement read from the reference on the case back
- Factory diamond bezels told from stones added later
- Prepaid insured FedEx label, or an appointment in your county
Who this page is for
The Ballon Bleu is the Cartier most often sold with a gift receipt.
This page is for the owner of a Ballon Bleu who wants to know whether theirs is worth selling and what sets the number. Most arrived as a gift with a receipt and nothing else. Few owners know the size or whether it ticks or sweeps, and a listing for a different size is no guide.
The Ballon Bleu came out in 2007 in five sizes, 28 to 42 mm, quartz in the small ones and automatic from 36 up. It exists in steel, two-tone, and pink gold, on a bracelet or a strap, with or without diamonds. Each of those splits moves the offer.
Hallmarks, buckles, polishing, and papers in general are on the Cartier page. Here I cover only the Ballon Bleu: which size and movement you have, what the crown guard and the diamonds do to the offer, and what must be in your photos.
Selling a Ballon Bleu to a private dealer
What a Ballon Bleu buyer does differently.
Size and movement from one engraving
The reference on the case back tells me the size, the metal, and whether the movement is quartz or automatic before I see the dial.
Factory stones told from added ones
Cartier records its bezel diamonds on the certificate. Stones set later into a steel bezel lower the offer. I tell you which you have.
The crown guard is checked, not assumed
The blue cabochon and its guard take every knock the watch gets. A chipped cabochon or a dented guard is priced into the offer, not refused.
Paid within 24 hours of inspection
Wire or check within 24 hours of the in-person inspection. You choose the method before the watch leaves your hands.
What I check on a Ballon Bleu
Six things that move a Ballon Bleu offer.
Each is specific to this model. Hallmarks, polishing, and papers are on the Cartier page.
Case size
28, 33, 36, 40, or 42 mm. The 42 is the men's standard and the deepest market. The 36 crosses over. The 28 and 33 trade as ladies' quartz pieces with their own buyers.
Quartz or automatic
The 28 is quartz and the 33 mostly quartz. The 36, 40, and 42 are automatic. A second hand that ticks is quartz; one that sweeps is automatic.
Metal
Steel, two-tone with pink or yellow gold, or solid pink gold. Full gold is priced partly on the metal. Two-tone and steel are priced on size, movement, and condition.
Crown and cabochon
The blue cabochon in its crown guard is the signature of the watch and the first part to get damaged. A cracked or missing cabochon is priced, not refused.
Bracelet or strap
Sold on a steel or gold bracelet, or on an alligator strap with a deployant buckle. A bracelet watch with all its links sits above the same watch on a strap.
Factory or aftermarket diamonds
Cartier's diamond bezels are on the certificate and match the case finish. Stones added later sit in a drilled or replaced bezel and pull the offer below a plain example.
How it works
Four steps, Ballon Bleu photos in the first.
01
Get an offer
Submit the appraisal form with photos of the dial in daylight, the crown and cabochon from the side, the case back engravings, the bracelet with the clasp open or the strap and buckle, the bezel up close if it carries diamonds, and the certificate. Tell me whether the second hand ticks or sweeps. I reply personally within 1 business day.
02
Ship or meet
Take the prepaid, fully insured FedEx label, or book an appointment in Miami-Dade, Broward, or Palm Beach.
03
Inspect and confirm
I open the box on camera and check the reference, movement, metal, cabochon, bezel stones, and serial against the certificate. If the watch matches the photos, the offer stands.
04
Get paid
Wire or check within 24 hours of inspection. If we do not agree, the watch goes back to you, insured, at my cost.
Quartz against automatic
The split that decides which market your Ballon Bleu sells in.
Same shape, same cabochon, two different buyers.
| Criteria | Quartz Ballon Bleu, 28 and 33 mm | Automatic Ballon Bleu, 36 to 42 mm |
|---|---|---|
| Movement | Battery quartz; the second hand ticks once a second | Automatic; supplied calibres early, the 1847 MC later, with a sweeping second hand |
| Who buys it | Buyers who want a small Cartier as a fine accessory; it competes with new stock | Watch buyers and resellers, with the 42 the deepest market |
| How it is priced | Closer to the jewelry market; metal and factory diamonds carry more weight | On size, generation, condition, and set, like a collector watch |
| What lowers the offer | A cracked cabochon, a worn bracelet, or added stones; a dead battery is nothing | A polished case, a strap in place of the original bracelet, a service long overdue |
These are directions, not figures. I show which rows moved your number in the reply.
The detail
What moves a Ballon Bleu offer, variable by variable.
Five sizes, and where yours sits
The Ballon Bleu launched in 2007 in 42, 36, and 28 mm. The 33 followed, and the 40 came later on the 1847 MC. The 42 is the men's watch and the one most resellers want. The 36 sells steadily to men and women. The 28 and 33 are ladies' pieces, usually quartz, priced in a different market from the automatics. Three relatives follow their own rules: the 44 mm Chronograph, the small Ballon Blanc with a diamond set into the dial at four o'clock, and the extra-flat hand-wound version. If yours is one of these, say so in the form.
The case back carries the reference and serial. Older references start with W69, such as W69012Z4 for the 42 mm steel automatic on a bracelet and W69011Z4 for the 36. Later ones start with WSBB on steel and WGBB on gold. Send me the engraving and I can place the watch without guessing.
Quartz, supplied calibres, and the 1847 MC
The 28 is quartz. The 33 is mostly quartz, with some later automatic references. The 36, 40, and 42 are automatic. Early 42 mm automatics ran on Cartier calibres built on an ETA base, and the 36 on a smaller supplied calibre. From the late 2010s the 1847 MC, Cartier's own automatic, took over, and buyers prefer those references. If you are not sure which you have, watch the second hand: quartz ticks once a second, an automatic sweeps. A dead battery does not lower the offer, so do not pay for a battery change first.
Steel, two-tone, pink gold, and the metal floor
Most Ballon Bleus are steel. Two-tone pairs a steel case with a pink or yellow gold bezel, crown guard, and bracelet rows. Solid pink gold is the top of the range, and a worn gold Ballon Bleu has a floor under it that a worn steel one does not. On two-tone the gold is a small part of the weight, so the offer follows the watch, not the metal.
The crown guard and the blue cabochon
The crown sits in a rounded guard that stands proud of the case at three o'clock, so it hits door frames and desks before any other part of the watch. A chipped cabochon, a dented guard, or a crown that no longer seats cleanly are the most common faults I see on this model. None stops a sale. All move the number, so photograph the crown from the side and from above.
Factory diamonds, aftermarket diamonds, and what to do with them
Cartier sets diamonds on the Ballon Bleu bezel at the factory, on gold cases and on some steel references, and the certificate names them. Those stones raise the offer. A plain steel 42 that went to a jeweler later and came back with a diamond bezel is a different watch. The stones sit in a drilled original bezel or a replacement, the setting is coarser under a loupe, and the piece sells below a plain example of the same reference. Do not have the stones removed first; the work costs more than it returns. Send it as it is and tell me who set them if you know.
Bracelet or strap, and why the bracelet matters
The Ballon Bleu was sold on a steel or gold bracelet, or on an alligator strap with a Cartier deployant buckle. The bracelet is the costly part to replace, so a bracelet watch with every link sits above the same reference on a strap. Send any removed links. On a strap watch, send the buckle even if the strap is worn out.
When selling to me is not the right call
If the watch was a gift from someone who is gone, keep it; the decision can wait. If you own a quartz 28 or 33 and expect the boutique price, a dealer offer will disappoint you, and I would rather say so here. If you want one person to inspect the watch, a reason for every point in the number, and payment within 24 hours of that inspection, this is the right page.
How to prepare your Ballon Bleu submission
- The dial straight on in daylight, with the second hand visible.
- The crown and cabochon from the side and from above, close enough to show any chip.
- The case back with the reference and serial readable.
- The bracelet laid flat with the clasp open, plus any removed links, or the strap and deployant buckle.
- The bezel up close if it carries diamonds, and who set them if you know.
- The Cartier certificate and box beside the watch, with the serial visible.
Questions, answered
Before you send a Ballon Bleu
Is my Ballon Bleu quartz or automatic?
Watch the second hand. One tick per second is quartz; a smooth sweep is automatic. The 28 and most 33 mm pieces are quartz; the 36, 40, and 42 are automatic. The reference on the case back confirms it.
Do you buy the 28 and 33 mm sizes?
Yes. They are priced as quartz Cartier pieces, closer to the jewelry market than the automatics, with gold and factory diamonds carrying more weight.
The diamonds were added later. Do you still buy it?
Yes. The offer sits below a plain example of the same reference, because the bezel has been drilled or replaced. Do not have the stones removed first; sell it as it is.
Is a two-tone Ballon Bleu worth more than steel?
Usually a little, but not as a rule. The gold on a two-tone is a small part of the weight, so size, movement, and condition decide more. Solid pink gold is the version with a real metal floor.
Sell your Ballon Bleu
A real number on your Ballon Bleu, in 1 business day.
Send the dial, crown, case back, and bracelet photos listed above. I reply personally with an offer and the reasons. Insured shipping is on me. Payout within 24 hours of inspection.