Over the years, Cartier has produced a multitude of memorable creations that pass the test of time and are instantly recognised. An ode to the brand’s mastery and refined expertise in the world of jewels and timepieces.
For Cartier, it all starts with the design. The brand has unique and instantly recognisable collections that are based on four main principles of conception: the purity of the line, the accuracy of the shape, the precision of proportions and the precious details.
It is Cartier’s desire to reduce each piece to its purest form, focusing on the structure. The jewellery piece or watch has an easy-to-read and instantly understandable style bringing a simplicity that makes them appreciable at first glance.
The brand measures the effects of symmetry, parallelism or asymmetry that each shape offers, be it a square or a circle, when it comes to the precision of the creation. By adding perspective and depth, and respecting the curves and lines, the result is a natural movement and re-creation of a new form.
Proportion relies on technical innovation, ergonomics research and understanding the piece’s function. The sharpness in proportions is achieved by balancing the lines, shapes and volume. All the elements must work well together for comfort, in harmony with movement. And the fourth principle is the cherished details. They must have a meaning and not be featured aimlessly or artificially.
Beloved Objects
A collection of seven designs stands the test of time. They are classic, eternal and essential. They can be reinvented and continue to inspire conversations, an endless source of creative energy that Cartier dares to develop over time. A cultural and emotional heritage, these pieces are heirlooms. This family of watches and jewellery, a remarkable collection in the history of jewellery and watchmaking, affirms Cartier’s original intention to create designer pieces.
Ballon Bleu De Cartier
The watch was created in 2007 from a new vision of roundness that, for the Cartier designers, involved giving volume to the circle. Doubly convex, its shape strikes the perfect balance between line and volume.
Juste un Clou
Cartier enhances the design of a basic shape by transforming a simple nail into a piece of jewellery. Clean, radical and uncompromising lines, the precision of this bracelet’s proportions, created for the maison in New York in the 1970s by Aldo Cipullo, allows the oval piece to hug the wrist.
Tank
In 1917, Louis Cartier took inspiration from the purity of the line to create a new watch shape. Inspired by the design of a combat vehicle viewed from above, this watch follows one clear graphics principle: the brancards were the treads and the case was the turret.
Trinity
The Trinity ring is constructed with clean lines and perfect proportions and made up of three intertwined, mobile bands in three shades of gold. A design created by Louis Cartier in 1924.
Panthère De Cartier
First created in 1983, the Panthère watch is a piece of art: the square case with rounded angles, the seamless curve of the horns and the visible rivets. The timepiece takes its name from the bracelet: ultraflexible echoing the movements of the maison’s emblematic animal.
Love
Love is the expression of Cartier’s design vision. Clean lines mean perfection: an oval bracelet created by Aldo Cipullo, in New York in 1969, composed of two rigid and flat circular arcs that must be screwed together using a suitable screwdriver.
Santos De Cartier
Created in 1904, the Santos watch design is based on the concept of form, the taste for minimalism, the precision of proportions and, finally, an eye for detail. For the first time, Cartier created a square watch for the wrist at a time when the pocket watch was round.
