Cartier Watch Reviews

Classically modern

Cartier calls its 21 Must De Cartier W10110T2 men’s watch a “modern classic.” That is a good assessment. Really, this watch combines the modern with the classic. At first glance, it looks like a timeless, classic Cartier watch. A second longer and you see the modern elements beginning to emerge. Aside from the blued steel hands and the blue synthetic spinel cabochon set in the crown, the watch is monochromatic with the color ranging from white to silver to stainless steel. The face design of concentric circles highlights this monochrome scale. With this modern designing matched by the classic Cartier aesthetic, it truly is a “modern classic.”

The stainless steel stationary bezel is the outermost circle and it contains Roman numeral hour markers. Just inside is a thin circular band with Arabic numeral minute markers on a white background. This band rims the innermost and final circle, which is blank steel highlighted by the blue hands. The face is covered by a scratch resistant sapphire window. The 21 Must De Cartier W10110T2 men’s watch has Cartier caliber 690 quartz movement and it is water resistant to 100 feet.

The 21 Must De Cartier W10110T2 men’s watch retails for $2,800 at Cartier and authorized resellers.

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An early version of the Cartier Tank Françoise, first created in 1917

Inspired in 1917 by military tanks, Louis Cartier created the amazing Tank timepiece, which has become one of Cartier’s most famous and popular lines still going strong today.

In the battle of the Western Front there was a new machine being used called the Renault tank.  Cartier ran with the design and gave the first version of it to General John Pershing of the American Expeditionary Force.  The Cartier Tank Françoise watch was born.

The shape of the early Cartier Tank watches was a combination of a square and a rectangle made from solid stainless steel as rugged as the tank machines of its day.  The class face of the watch contained Roman numerals and blue sword shaped hands, which is still prevalent in the Tank series of today.

Another signature mechanism on the historic Tank Françoise timepiece is the self winding crown, which is topped with blue sapphire.  Today the Tank watch has evolved into over thirty different varieties, many of which contain diamonds.  Cartier produces automatic and quartz movement Tank timepieces for both men and women.

The Cartier Tank Françoise is still a popular seller at Cartier, with its latest design in 1996.  You can still wear a timepiece that is very similar to the original version of 1917.

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The Cartier Love bracelet was originally created in 1969 by Aldo Cipullo

The summer of 1969 was a momentous time.  It was the height of the Vietnam War.  John and Yoko stayed in bed for peace.  The United States had finally visited the moon.  And the love revolution was in full force.

This was also a time when Cartier was creating some of the world’s finest jewelry and timepieces, a tradition that began in the 1800s.  And what better way to penetrate the freewheeling hippie movement than with a bracelet inspired by a Chastity belt.

The Cartier Love Bracelet of 1969 was designed by a French jeweler named Aldo Cipullo, who created some amazing pieces for Cartier before his early death at the age of 48 from heart disease.  The original gold version was in two pieces, joined together by bolts that could be unlocked with a matching screwdriver.

Cartier originally marketed the Love Bracelet to Hollywood couples only like, Ali McGraw and Steve McQueen and Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.  The bracelet was redesigned in 1979 with diamonds added to it then in 2009 Cartier recreated the gold piece popularized once again by a celebrity, Eva Mendes.

The Cartier Love Bracelet is a timeless piece with a unique design.  Its symbol of commitment will carry on for generations.  Currently $150.00 of each sale of the latest versions brings donations to charities for children.

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Vroom

Time will not speed up if you are wearing Cartier’s Roadster W62041V3 men’s watch, but you may look a little faster. Inspired by race cars of the 1950’s and 60’s, the Roadster W62041V3 is at once original, sleek and bubbly. It maintains the precision and style that has been a mainstay of Cartier products for more than 150 years, while adding the flair reminiscent of those old iconic autos.

The Cartier Roadster W62041V3 large model men’s watch comes in a stainless steel case. The dial face has a glossy black background with white Roman numerals that are slightly off-kilter, as is Cartier’s style. The placement of the hour markers leave an oval in the center that evokes the dashboard gauges of the classic cars, as does the magnified calendar window at 3 o’clock. All this is covered by a scratch resistant sapphire crystal window. The watch has the automatic winding Cartier caliber 3110 mechanical movement mechanism and it is water resistant up to 330 feet. It comes with two interchangeable straps that can be switched to make the timepiece fit different occasions, from casual to formal.

The Cartier Roadster W62041V3 men’s watch retails for $6,050 at the Cartier website, Cartier boutique stores and authorized Cartier sellers.

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With it's captivating appearance, no wonder this women's watch is in the Captive de Cartier collection!

This Cartier women’s watch is literally inimitable. The uniqueness in design is a true example of the Captive de Cartier collection and is impossible to imitate. Nothing about this timepiece makes you think boring or original. It does, however, make you do a double take thanks to the striking peach colored face or the surplus amount of diamonds on the bezel and face. You’ll be glad you looked twice. Once you notice the other physical features you will smile in approval, maybe ask a question or two about the inner workings of the watch and inquire where you can get your own (and if you read on, I’ll let you know both).

This WG600003 Captive de Cartier Women’s Watch is beautifully crafted and made of 18k rose gold. It is adorned with gorgeous diamonds on the entire bezel and diamonds in an open circle at the 12 o’clock position. In addition, the timepiece features twelve lines with a mismatching amount of diamonds acting as the hour markers. Helping you read the time is blue-steal sword-shaped hands. To keep the ample amount of diamonds on the face protected, and make this watch perfect for an everyday wear, this Cartier has scratch-resistant sapphire crystal.

Cartier also knows that accidents happen (hence the scratch-resistant sapphire crystal). With that being said, in case you might fall into water this WG600003 Captive de Cartier Women’s Watch is water resistant in up to 30 meters of water. The timepiece comes with a 2-year warranty for any other accidents that might occur as well. It is 35 mm in diameter and 9.33 mm thick. The Captive de Cartier women’s watch also features a dark burgundy ‘toile brossée’ fabric strap with an ardillon buckle in 18k pink gold.

The WG600003 Captive de Cartier Women’s Watch is available at the official Cartier website, Cartier boutique stores and authorized sellers.

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The Birmingham School of Jewellery opened in 1890

Recently Cartier UK, a division of Richmont, announced that it will contribute to the Birmingham Institute of Art Design’s jewellery school with much needed equipment and studio space.  As an added bonus the luxury jeweler will also offer graduates work placement.

The Birmingham Jewellery School has been located in the heart of the Birmingham’s historic Jewellery Quarter in the United Kingdom since 1890.  This is a top rated school on the cutting edge of technological advances in the making of jewellery, silversmithing, gemology, and horology or timepiece craftsmanship.  Cartier UK has had a long-standing relationship with the school and hopes to improve on its products through the aid and work placement program.

In 1997 the Jewellery Industry Innovation Centre opened in Birmingham inside the school, which has further enhanced the rich tradition of the craft and is considered top rated in Europe.  Now that Cartier UK has stepped up its involvement in the school, school leaders expect their programs to be taken to an even higher level of achievement.

Cartier originally began in Paris in 1847 by jeweler, Louis-Francois Cartier, and quickly became popular with the royals of that era.  Today Richmont owns it with divisions in Europe and the United States.

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Masculine and Classic, the Rotonde de Cartier is a hand-crafted masterpiece

The Rotonde de Cartier W1556051 Men’s Watch is a handsome and chic central chronograph watch on a 42 millimeter case.  It is composed of 18K white gold.  Elegant and sophisticated, this timepiece features a circular grained crown, also composed of white gold and enhanced with a cabochon sapphire set in its center.  The dial is finished with various shades of slate and metal gray and labeled with black Roman numerals and indexes.    The concentric circles featured on the watch face draw the eye to the center of this refined Cartier masterpiece while the sword shaped blue steel hour and minute hands appear to glide across the Roman numerals. 

The impressive Rotonde de Cartier W1556051 Men’s Watch features manual winding and mechanical movement.  Its diameter measures 25.6 millimeters and it is composed of 272 pieces – including 35 jewels.  Each Rotonde de Cartier is individually numbered and workshop-crafted by Cartier.  This timepiece features two sapphire crystals, one on the front and one on the back.  The back is transparent to allow its wearer to view the inner-workings of this masterpiece.   The black alligator-skin strap enhances the masculinity of the Rotonde de Cartier watch while its 18K adjustable deployant buckle makes for a comfortable wear.

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Eye See You

The Ballon Bleu de Cartier W6920046 men’s watch brings to mind an eye. Maybe it is a whale’s eye; or a child’s eye, as wide as possible with wonder and disbelief; or maybe it is the eye of some kind of a technician, enlarged through the lens of a thick, round monocle; or maybe it is just an eyeball. Whatever, the large round case, offset by a thinner band is striking and original without trying too hard.

The big round, highly polished stainless steel case of the Ballon Bleu de Cartier W6920046 men’s watch is further accentuated by a slightly protruding piece of steel protecting the crown. At a glance it looks almost as if the watch has a compass to guide the stylish wearer. Under the scratch resistant sapphire crystal window, the dial boasts Roman numeral hour markers and blued steel hands. Its crown is fluted, with a blue synthetic spinel cabochon. The bracelet is steel and the mechanical movement has Cartier caliber 076 automatic winding. The watch is also water resistant to 100 feet.

The Ballon Bleu de Cartier W6920046 men’s watch retails for $5,100 and is available on the Cariter website, Cartier boutique stores and authorized sellers. It can also be personalized with a complementary engraving.

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Princess Mathilde Bonaparte wearing Cartier jewelry in the mid-1800s

Little did French jeweler Adolphe Picard realize in the mid 1800s that his young apprentice, Louis François Cartier, would take over his business in 1847 upon his retirement and launch a company that would make jewelry and watch making history.

Cartier was a man with a gift and he used it to the best of his abilities and beyond while working for Picard for only pennies a day.  He became known for creating elegant yet simple pieces.  Sooner after he opened his new store he became a favorite of royals like Princess Mathilde Bonaparte, who was Napoleon III’s cousin.  This put Cartier on the map in the luxury jewelry world from the very beginning of his business career.

In the next decade Cartier designed some of the most unique, ornate pieces and often incorporated animals and birds.  His list of high-end clients continued to grow as the brand became exclusive.  The very first Cartier timepiece was created at the end of the century with little applause.  At this time Cartier’s sons joined the family business and helped transform the Art Nouveau pieces into a new Art Deco form.

In the early 1900s watchmaker Edmond Jaeger helped the Cartier family create beautiful jeweled timepieces made from light metal platinum instead of heavy gold.  This led to the first Tank wristwatch design as well as the Santos timepiece.

Cartier has withstood financial setbacks and a changing of the guard and is today owned by the Vendôme Luxury Group PLC.  The company continues its rich tradition of elegance, simplicity and innovation in jewelry and timepieces.

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Captive de Cartier

The mysterious form and alluring beauty of the Captive de Cartier, Small Model WG600008 Women’s Watch is emphasized through its radiant dial and captivatingly beautiful jeweled clasp.  The clasp connects the silver colored bracelet to the sunburst dial in an unusually stylish and enigmatic manner. 

The 27 millimeter diameter case of this stunning 18K white gold watch is set with round diamonds around the perimeter, enhancing the enchanting look of this elegant Cartier timepiece.  The sunburst pattern of the guilloche dial is silvered in color and labeled with three Roman numerals.  These appear at the three, six, and nine positions on the watch face.  The characteristic Cartier blue steel hands are sword shaped and enhance the beauty and color of the silvered dial.  The fabric strap of the Captive de Cartier, Small Model watch is composed of a star-like material and connects with an adjustable deployant buckle at the back of the bracelet.  The buckle is also composed of 18K white gold. 

Cartier caliber 056 quartz movement and water-resistance to 30 meters or 100 feet are typical of Cartier quality and style which is epitomized by the beauty and subtlety of this stylish women’s watch.  An enticing piece for any women’s Cartier collection.

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