Cartier, sophisticated watches for scintillating women.
Known for its Art Deco jewellery and its panther, the prestigious house of Cartier is also a pioneer of luxury watchmaking. Each of Cartier's collections of women's watches, with pieces more concerned with aesthetics and design than technical extravagance, reflects the label's vivid imagination.
Jewellery sets timed to perfection.
It all began in 1847, when Louis-François Cartier acquired the Paris workshop of his master, to found his own jewellery brand. Using his exceptional know-how, the artisan proved his innate talent for satisfying the extravagant desires of his exacting clientele. At the end of the 1850's, he won over Princess Mathilde Bonaparte and the Empress Eugénie, which helped consolidate his reputation. In 1888 he created the first jewelled Cartier watches for women. The three sons of the creator took over the house eleven years later, and by 1910, boutiques had been opened in London and New York.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the French label's success in fine watchmaking could be described as meteoric, with spectacular Bestiaire and High Jewellery being the best-known lines. Cartier became official supplier to many of the royal courts of Europe, which earned it the description of "jeweller of kings, and the king of jewellers”, from the Prince of Wales. When the feline Jeanne Toussaint took over as creative director of the establishment in 1933, a wind of daring avant-gardism started to blow over Cartier's collections of timepieces. The company ceased to belong to the Cartier family in 1964, becoming a part of Swiss group Richemont SA.
The mischievous aura of an unpredictable panther.
Forerunner of Cartier's bracelet watches, the Santos model was designed especially for the aviator of the same name in 1904. Other keepers of time quickly inspired adulation, like the Turtles, with their exquisite animal forms, and the Tank, its imposing stature finding inspiration in military tanks. With a very evocative name, the Pasha was initially designed for Marrakesh's pasha, who was looking for a waterproof watch he could wear in his swimming pool. The Panther first appeared as a watch in 1983, a natural addition to the Parisian label's emblematic oeuvre. It was the turn of Cartier's Trinity series, the symbol of an era, to feature on watches adorned with the gold rings. The most recent creation, Ballon Bleu, is just as sought after, with its Sapphire hues, a subtle invitation to far-off lands.
So much more than magnificent accessories, Cartier watches are real masterpieces of noble innovation. Their rarity is matched only by the perfection of their finishings. This singular approach makes each timepiece a precious object of desire, as original as it is timeless.
Among Cartier's must-have models, we can mention: