As creative as it is precious, the Tressage watch follows in the footsteps of Cartier’s Maillon, Coussin and Reflection watches. Yellow gold, distinctive volumes, and contrasting materials: this timepiece reinterprets these elements, drawn from the Maison’s vocabulary, combining and opposing them to create a true watchmaking sculpture.
On this watch, two twists of gold and diamonds surround a rectangular dial paved with snow-set diamonds. On one side, the smooth roundness of yellow gold alternates with pavé diamonds, while on the other, the bold, sharp lines of vertical brancards provide contrast. The shiny leather strap continues this interplay of materials.
Creative freedom transcends traditional codes, allowing for a dynamic interplay of textures and colours that evoke both tension and sensuality. This energy gives rise to several singular versions.
One aesthetic, in yellow gold, stands out with the vibrant presence of smooth gadroons contrasting with the black dial and leather strap.
Always pushing boundaries, the watchmakers sought to reveal, within the minimal space dictated by the design, the beauty and opulence of the stones. In the first version, featuring a deep blue strap, the twists and dial are paved with snow-set diamonds. A second version introduces a gradient of sapphires alongside the diamonds, extending the harmony to the strap.
Through these creations, where the round contrasts with the line, the smooth with the fine relief of the pavé, Cartier honours the legacy of Jeanne Toussaint, the first female creative director at Cartier, appointed in 1933. In her footsteps, the material unfolds into infinite effects and brilliance.
“If Tressage is the perfect illustration of Cartier’s jewellery expertise in watchmaking, it is not simply a piece of jewellery that tells the time. For this creation, we exaggerated and amplified the classic attributes of a watch. By enlarging and elongating the brancards, we sculpted a voluptuous twist in volume. Neither a bangle nor a leather strap, Tressage continues to explore that unique and atypical territory so dear to Cartier— watches of a third kind, a true fusion of watchmaking and jewellery.”
Marie-Laure Cérède, Creative Director of Jewellery and Watchmaking
