Cartier is one of the watchmakers that never fails to surprise us with its creativity. There isn’t a year that goes by without the French Maison coming up with something entirely new and astounding, and this year was no exception.
Cartier Reflection
At first glance, the new Cartier Reflection looks like a beautiful jewellery bangle with a miniature watch in the end. When you look a little closer, however, it isn’t actually a watch, but a mirror reflecting a miniature timepiece on the other side of the bangle where the time goes backwards in order to reflect correctly. It is an optical illusion that Cartier’s mystery clocks of old. It is fun and totally in tune with Cartier’s love for playfulness. There are versions in white, yellow, or pink gold as well as high jewellery pieces.
Cartier Santos Rewind
Another surprising release this year was the platinum Cartier Santos Rewind with its carnelian red lacquer dial. Apart from the colouring, this timepiece looks similar to any other Santos, but when you take a closer look, the Roman numerals are positioned in an anticlockwise direction. The hands move backwards too, so there is a certain amount of mental gymnastics needed to figure out the time (the time on the watch pictured here isn’t 1:50 but 10:10). But it is probably like driving on the other side of the road, it is sheer panic for the first hour, but you quickly get the hang of it!
Cartier Animal Jewellery – Zebra
Since the panther’s coat first graced a watch case in 1914, animals have continued to inspire the creations at Cartier. This year, it was the zebra that has been reinterpreted into a timepiece with this rhodium-finished white gold -shaped case around a lozenge-shaped dial. Both the case and the dial have been adorned with tsavorite garnets, brilliant-cut diamonds (2.8 carats), and black lacquer to mimic the zebra’s stripes in an alluring way. The watch is finished with a tsavorite garnet in the crown and a black calfskin strap (the watch also comes with a second navy-blue alligator strap).
Cartier Animal Jewellery – Crocodile
A diamond-set sculptural crocodile with cabochon-cut emerald eyes curls itself around the case and dial of this elegant jewellery timepiece. The dial and case are made from a mosaic of sapphires, brilliant-cut diamonds (3.1 carats), mother-of-pearl, and enamel pieces. This artistic craft is one of the specialties of Cartier’s artisans at the Maison des Métiers d’Art in La-Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. The watch is fitted with a navy-blue alligator leather strap and comes with a second strap in royal blue calfskin.
Cartier Baignoire
The Baignoire is one of Cartier’s most iconic models with its case that resembles a bathtub (“baignoire” in French). It was first introduced in 1912 and evolved into its current form in 1958. Originally designed for women, it has become increasingly popular with men over the last year or two. This version, with its ivory dial, brown Roman numerals, and blued hands, is making play for a female wrist, but with the holidays coming, sparkle has no gender.
Cartier Tank Louis Cartier
This brand-new Cartier Tank Louis Cartier is just out for the holidays. It is the collection’s small model that comes in a yellow gold case with a black lacquered dial set with 151 diamonds (0.71 carats). The combination of yellow gold, black lacquer and diamonds is just waiting to be paired with some glitzy evening attire this holiday season. Something tells me that we are going to see this timepiece on some celebrity wrists over the New Year!
Tortue Monopusher Chronograph
This year also saw the return of the Cartier Tortue Monopusher Chronograph. Available in a choice of yellow gold or platinum, it comes with a white dial and black Roman numerals, which are broken up by large subdials. The numerals on the platinum version are slightly raised, whereas the counters on the yellow gold version are black and printed. There is something about this dial that I find really pleasing to the eye. It is busy, but it all fits in harmoniously.
