THE WORLD OF FINE WATCHES

SPOTLIGHT www.watchtime.com

THE MILESTONE WATCHES OF CARTIER PRESENTED BY WATCHTIME MAGAZINE

CARTIER

To those who love fine jewelry, the name Cartier has always represented luxury and the beautiful things in life. But there’s more to this brand than jewelry. As a maker of wristwatches, Cartier has been innovative in its designs and technology for well over a century. Here we visit 23 of its most important accomplishments as a watch brand.

CARTIER:

Stages of a colorful history (clockwise): the firm’s founder, Louis-François Cartier (1819–1904); Alberto Santos-Dumont, Cartier’s first wristwatch customer; Cartier cigarette lighter; an advertisement from 1988; Cartier’s store in London in 1909; the manufacture caliber from the first central chronograph (2009); Cartier rings; a modern winding rotor manufactured by Cartier

By GisBert L. Brunner

The Milestones

MILESTONES

Cartier

1904/1911

1913/1928 TORTUE

SANTOS JEWELER LOUIS CARTIER (1875– 1942) was a perfectionist designer. When he stylistically emancipated the wristwatch at the beginning of the 20th century, this type of timepiece was still struggling to establish its right to exist. In this era of pocketwatches, many people, especially men, were simply not interested in wearing watches on their wrists. But exceptions prove the rule, and one such exception was Alberto Santos-Dumont. Born in 1873, this Brazilian bon vivant and his homemade flying machines were the toast of Parisian high society. In 1904, the pioneering aviator complained to his friend Cartier that it wasn’t practical for a pilot to consult a pocketwatch while flying an airplane, and told him he believed he could set new aviation records if a solution to this problem could be found. That same year, Cartier strapped a new timepiece around Santos-Dumont’s wrist. Two years later, the daredevil pilot, in his motorized “14-bis” aircraft, set new distance records while wearing this square-cased watch with integrated strap lugs. It didn’t take long before other high-society types also wanted to wear “Santos” models on their wrists. A savvy businessman, Cartier began making a small number of Santos watches for privileged purchasers in 1908; serial production followed in 1911.

CARTIER UNVEILED the logical extension of the Tonneau in 1913. Unlike its elongated predecessor, this new model had a more compact shape and could accommodate round movements with larger diameters. The new watch was appropriately christened the “Tortue” because it reminded people of a tortoise. Like the Santos, it had integrated strap lugs that cleverly extended the case’s arcing flanks. Starting in 1928, Cartier equipped this watch with an ultra-slim monopusher chronograph movement: LeCoultre, the ébauche specialist, had premiered its 11-ligne ébauche 11 JCCV one year previously in 1927. The European Watch and Clock Co. delivered the completely assembled movement. Automaker Edsel Ford was among the many wearers of this innovative chronograph.

1906 TONNEAU AT THE BEGINNING of the 20th century, wristwatches began differentiating themselves from pocketwatches by bidding adieu to traditional round cases. Fashion-oriented women, to whom the wristwatch owes its genesis, were becoming bored with round timepieces. Recognizing the tremendous potential, Cartier in 1906 presented a barrel-shaped watch and called it the “Tonneau,” French for barrel. Thanks to its cleverly designed curvature, the case conformed to the contours of its wearer’s wrist. The model pictured dates from 1907.

1917/1919 TANK LOUIS CARTIER MADE another important contribution to the rise of the wristwatch during World War I. His design concept was sparked by the modern combat tanks that English troops deployed in the Battle of the Somme in 1916. Cartier was so impressed by their martial appearance that he used it as the template for a wristwatch, released in 1917, with a rectangular case and elongated flanks. Edmond Jaeger contributed to its creation. The following year, to express his gratitude for the liberation of France, Cartier gave the first few of these watches to General John Joseph Pershing, supreme commander of American troops in France, and to other high-ranking officers in the U.S. Army. These military men could take pleasure in the exclusivity of their new wristwatches for only one year, however, because serial production of the Tank began in 1919.

MILESTONES

Cartier

1921

1922

TANK CINTRÉE

CLOCHE UNVEILED IN 1922 and repeatedly modified in ensuing years, the Cloche attracted particular attention thanks to its asymmetric case, which was shaped like a church bell. The Cloche (French for “bell”) was usually made only by special request. Two versions were available: the case of the first version was connected to its upper strap by a

THANKS IN PART TO Louis Cartier’s contributions, the wristwatch grew in popularity. Between 1906 and 1918 alone, his store on Rue de la Paix in Paris sold almost as many wristwatches as all other timekeepers combined: customers bought 2,789 wristwatches, compared to 3,119 pendant and brooch watches, pocketwatches and table clocks. The unconventional Tank was one of the best sellers, and Cartier created a new evolution of this model in the early 1920s: he stretched the square case into an elongated rectangle and gave it an attractive and practical curvature so that the watch, despite its overall length of more than 45 mm, was very comfortable to wear. The narrowness of the case imposed strict limits on the dimensions of its hand-wound movement, which was supplied by the European Watch and Clock Co. The dancer and actor Fred Astaire famously numbered among the wearers of the Tank Cintrée.

1928 TANK À GUICHETS

1922 TANK CHINOISE JUST ONE YEAR after the debut of the Tank Cintrée, Cartier launched the next version of his rectangular watch. To accentuate the square shape of the original model, the two horizontal bars above and below the dial were lengthened to extend

beyond the case’s flanks. This design element called to mind the portals of Chinese temples, so the new model – which contained a 9-ligne, hand-wound movement – was given the name “Tank Chinoise” soon afterward.

FOR CENTURIES, time displays had a universal design: hands rotating above a fixed dial. Eventually, innovative watchmakers invented timepieces that indicated the hours and minutes digitally, via printed disks rotating beneath windows in the dial. The fronts of these watches’ cases could now be made almost entirely of metal, so watchmakers could dispense with the large, flat and shatter-prone glass crystals. The small apertures were also made of glass, but small enough to withstand the hard knocks they’d encounter during vigorous sports. Cartier released the Tank à Guichets in 1928. This rectangular watch was aimed primarily at customers who regularly subjected their wristwatches to rough treatment, so Cartier positioned the vulnerable crown between the two upper strap lugs, where it was best protected against impacts. The model shown here was sold to Sir Bhupinder Singh, the maharaja of the former Indian principality of Patiala.

single lug at 12 o’clock and surrounded a conventional dial; in the second version, the case and dial were turned 90 percent to the right. When the latter model was taken off the wrist, it could stand by itself, with one flat flank downward, atop a desk or nightstand. The version shown here, with vertically oriented case, was built in 1925.

MILESTONES

Cartier

1931

1943/1985

WATER-RESISTANT WATCHES

PASHA

NEEDLESS TO SAY, water resistance was an important topic at Cartier in the late 1920s and early ’30s, when society’s upper crust vacationed at the Côte d’Azur and other seaside spots. Rolex made its mark in this area in 1926, when patent protection was granted to its water-resistant Oyster case. In 1931, Cartier and its watchmaking partner Jaeger set out to create a rectangular watch case with a similar level of waterresistance. It was much more difficult, of course, to develop an insulating system

that would prevent water from penetrating at the sharp corners of a non-circular case. To fully protect the movement, models like this baguette watch from 1931 were given an additional locking system for the manual-winding components. One particularly prestigious customer who ordered a timepiece of this type from Cartier in the mid1930s was the Pasha of Marrakesh, who wanted a wristwatch that he wouldn’t need to remove before taking a dip in his swimming pool.

1922 TANK BASCULANTE DURING THE ROARING TWENTIES, the active lifestyles of Cartier’s deep-pocketed clientele posed enormous challenges for the brand. Shattered crystals, broken dials, and hands that fell off their staffs were common problems. In 1926, Cartier applied for a patent to protect the intellectual property of its case-cum-bracelet construction in which the crystal spent most of its life facing safely toward the wrist, but could also be briefly pivoted into full view whenever the wearer wanted to read the time. The system was simple but not entirely practical, so Cartier and his experienced partner Jaeger went back to the drawing board. Spécialité Horlogères SA was granted a patent in 1932 for a case construction with a clever tilting mechanism, which was incorporated into a watch called the “Tank Basculante” (“bas-

CARTIER STARTED OFFERING watches with water-resistant cases in the 1930s, but their insulating systems were so complex that the protection they offered lasted only a relatively short time. Although Louis Cartier died in 1942, his namesake brand continued to strive for technical innovation and design evolution. Realizing that it was easier to ensure and sustain water-reistance in a round case, Cartier launched a round, gold model with central strap lugs and a screwed back in 1943. The crown had a protective locking mechanism that could be screwed shut after the owner had used the crown to wind the watch or set its hands. To prevent the loss of this protective cap, a small chain kept it safely attached to the case. The crystal was covered with a grille that resembled those on military wristwatches from the World War I era. Incidentally, the claim that this watch was created to fill an order placed by the Pasha of Marrakesh is nothing more than an oft-repeated fairytale. Not until 1985, when Cartier began serial manufacturing of this model, was it given this name, though the Pasha was among Cartier’s foremost aficionados in his day.

1960s/1986/1991 CRASH culante” is French for “rocking”). The new system let the watch’s wearer rotate the case through 180 degrees, thus quickly putting the watch’s covered dial against the wrist and out of harm’s way when, for example, its wearer played a round of golf.

ANOTHER LEGEND SURROUNDS the creation of Cartier’s “Crash” model, which has a case that looks as though it had been smashed in a serious automobile accident. Although its bizarre appearance prompted would-be connoisseurs to nickname it the “Dalí,” the Spanish surrealist painter (one of whose

most famous works depicted limp, misshaped and “melting” watches) had nothing whatsoever to do with the creation of this wristwatch. Cartier produced only 15 pieces of the Crash in the 1960s. A second edition was added in the 1980s, followed by a limited edition of 400 gold watches in 1991.

MILESTONES

Cartier

1973/1976

2002

LES MUST DE CARTIER

TORTUE MONOPOUSSOIR

CARTIER’S WATCH division was hit hard when the brand split into three houses (Paris, London and New York). A small revolution was the only solution. When Alain-Dominique Perrin joined Cartier Paris in 1969, he and then-president Robert Hocq set out to revitalize the business. In 1973, Perrin presented the “Les Must de Cartier” concept, which was intended to take into account the ongoing societal upheaval and the resulting change in the public’s attitude toward luxury goods. Twelve different watch models, initially available only in solid gold cases, were sold only in Cartier’s “Must” boutiques and at selected jewelry stores. The new concept was successful and Perrin was promoted to the post

of Must’s CEO in 1973. Meanwhile, Cartier’s U.S. subsidiary had since 1971 been selling a less expensive, gold-plated version of the Tank for $150 via a network of somewhat dubious dealers. This tarnished the brand’s image, which was further harmed in 1976 by the sudden appearance of large numbers of counterfeits. When the New York subsidiary rejoined the Cartier family, Perrin put a stop to the questionable practice, but wasn’t willing to abandon Cartier’s flourishing business in America. His solution was the new Tank Must de Cartier, a watch with a gold-plated silver case, manufactured in two different sizes and selling for the relatively low price of $500. The watch was a huge success.

AS LATE AS 1998, Alain-Dominique Perrin, who had since been promoted to president of Cartier, was still focusing more on his watches’ external design than on their movements. This began to change in 2002 with Cartier’s re-release of the Tortue monopusher. First unveiled in 1928, this historical chronograph had become a collectors’ item. For its 21st-century re-issue, Cartier did not settle for a run-of-the-mill

2003 ROADSTER CHRONOGRAPH

1978 SANTOS SPORT TO FOLLOW UP the success of the Tank Must de Cartier, Robert Hocq and AlainDominique Perrin began developing another new model that would meld Cartier’s easily recognizable design with a soupçon of sportiness. They found the ideal candidate in the Santos. Until that point, that model had been available only in precious-metal cases. But Cartier’s new philosophy of affordable luxury inspired a strategic rethinking. The first

Santos Sport featured a steel case and bracelet, a golden bezel, and an eye-catching design highlighted by the prominently slit heads of numerous screws. This watch, with its automatic movement, was a hit, and soon distinguished itself as one the world’s most popular luxury wristwatches. This model’s design, and its interesting history, prompted the Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace in Paris to put the watch on display.

CARTIER DECIDED to launch a sporty version of the Tortue in 2001. With a date magnifier that extended over the crown, the first Roadster wed tradition with modernity. Cartier followed it up with the release of a chronograph version in 2003. The watch was equipped with an ETA automatic movement and three interchangeable wristbands: a steel bracelet, a calfskin strap, and a sailcloth strap. As one would expect of a watch inspired by motorsports, its dial is equipped with a tachymeter scale that works with the elapsed-seconds hand to enable its wearer to quickly calculate average speeds.

mechanical movement. Lacking its own developmental capabilities, the brand turned to the specialists at Techniques Horlogèrs Appliquées SA (THA) in Sainte-Croix, Switzerland, who designed a column-wheel caliber that was a mere 3.8 mm thick. Like its predecessor from LeCoultre in 1928, hand-wound Caliber 045 has a diameter of 24.8 mm. Cartier holds all legal rights to it.

MILESTONES

Cartier

2004

2008

SANTOS 100

SANTOS TRIPLE 100

IN 1904, when Louis Cartier presented the Santos as the first watch conceived specifically for the wrist, large wristwatches, like those of today, were nearly a century in the future. Small, fine, and, above all, elegant were the watch words. Cartier manufactured only about 800 pieces of the Santos up through 1973. But the number of units began a steady climb starting in 1978. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Santos, Cartier unveiled the impossible-tooverlook Santos 100, with its generous dimensions of 42 by 51 millimeters, strap lugs included. The movement is the reliable ETA 2892, which is produced in large series. The case is made of steel or gold or a combination of both metals.

CARTIER HAS ALWAYS given ample attention to its watch dials; after all, the dial a customer chooses is the one he or she will have to live with for life, right? Not in the case of the Santos Triple 100, introduced in 2008. This watch’s appeal derives not only from its white-gold case, adorned with numerous gemstones, but also from its unusual trilogy of dials. Thanks to moveable prisms, a simple turn of the crown is all it takes to change from the classical Cartier look with Roman numerals, to a second dial totally encrusted with diamonds and sapphires, to a third dial with a portrait of a tiger. Another Santos

100 in a somewhat less glamorous triple version debuted soon afterward. It invites its owner to choose between a black dial, a white dial, or a view into the skeletonized manufacture Caliber 9611 MC. In this instance, the case is made of palladium.

2007 BALLON BLEU DE CARTIER CARTIER HAS always been known for its watches with nontraditional (i.e., not round) cases, but the brand introduced its own distinctive take on the round watch with the introduction of the Ballon Bleu in 2007. Bernard Fornas, president of Cartier until 2012, called the Ballon Bleu his brand’s most successful watch, and said he regarded it as an iconic model on a par with the Santos and the Tank. Like many other timepieces in Cartier’s history, the Ballon Bleu is considered a unisex model. However, 70 percent of all Ballon Bleu watches are worn by women.

2009 ROTONDE CENTRAL CHRONOGRAPH WITH THE ROTONDE de Cartier Central Chronograph, Cartier’s designers and watchmakers found a way to solve a problem that besets conventional chronographs: namely, a chronograph’s legibility is less than ideal because its hands sometimes overlap one another. On this watch, the hands that indicate the time never obscure the chronograph hands because the displays are positioned on different levels. The lowest lev-

el is exclusively for the hours and minutes; the middle is reserved for the elapsed chronograph minutes, which are digitally indicated on a disk; and the top level displays only the blue chronograph seconds hand. All this is made possible by Cartier’s in-house column-wheel Caliber 9907 MC, which is 25.6 mm in diameter, 7.1 mm thick, manually wound, and equipped with an energy-saving friction coupling.

MILESTONES

Cartier

2010

2011

ROTONDE ASTROTOURBILLON

ROTONDE ASTRORÉGULATEUR

THE ROTONDE de Cartier Astrotourbillon was one of the brand’s highlights of 2010. Its hand-wound movement runs for 48 hours without re-winding. Caliber 9451 MC is 38 mm in diameter and 9 mm thick. The balance oscillates at a steady pace of 3 Hz while simultaneously completing one orbit around the dial every minute, thus serving as a seconds hand. In this way, the unconventional tourbillon does double duty. Five years were invested in the developmental work. The Rotonde’s gold case is 47 mm in diameter.

2010 CALIBRE DE CARTIER TO MAKE ITS MARK in the competitive men’s watch market, Cartier needed a wristwatch with a boldly masculine touch. And that is precisely what the brand presented in 2010 when it unveiled the Calibre de Cartier at the SIHH in Geneva. To ensure the watch had no connection to femininity, Cartier then-president Bernard Fornas issued an executive order instructing the saleswomen at Cartier’s approximately 300 boutiques around the globe never to wear this

watch while serving customers; only male sales staff could wear the Calibre while at work. The exclusive, automatic Caliber 1904 PS MC indicates the seconds on a subdial and the date in a designated window. Two barrels combine to provide about 48 hours of power reserve. Cartier hoped that this powerful movement would attract potential male customers to buy their first Cartier watch. The Calibre de Cartier collection has since expanded, with new models that have included a tourbillon and a chronograph.

THE MOST IMPRESSIVE features of this watch are ensconced inside its 50mm-diameter case, which is light in weight but high in performance because it’s crafted from an alloy of titanium and niobium. Four patents protect the mechanism, which is not a tourbillon but nevertheless compensates for the effects of gravity on the movement. The fruit of five years of development, its oscillating and escapement system, which is inherently susceptible to positional changes, is borne atop a rotor with a heavy platinum segment. Because of its heavy weight, the rotor always falls toward the Earth’s center, so fine adjustment in the hanging position was required only in one position rather than in the usual four. The technical effort that resulted in this solution was significant. An intelligent system with two differential gear-trains compensates for the relative velocities generated by the to-and-fro motions of the escapement assembly. The bipartite scale for the seconds also moves along with the rest of the assembly so the two-armed seconds hand will always indicate the correct time. The twin mainsprings receive energy from the rotor in both its directions of rotation. After these springs are fully wound, the watch will continue to run for approximately 80 hours. The entire movement requires about five times as many components as a classical tourbillon.