ICONS: Cartier's historic bet

Find out all about the Cartier icons that have revolutionised watchmaking fashion. We tell you which models they are and much more.

 Cartier is arguably one of the most prestigious watch brands in the world. Hence, many of its designs have become great icons in the world of watchmaking due to their beauty, exclusivity and elegance. 

If you don't know yet which are the Cartier icons and you want to get into the world of the Maison, this is your place.

What is a Cartier and what is its impact on watchmaking?

Although Cartier is a brand that is more than recognized worldwide and especially in the luxury accessories sector, many people do not know why this brand has such great prestige or what is the origin of its essence.

The Cartier brand was founded in 1847 in Paris by the jeweller Louis-François Cartier, but it was his grandchildren who managed to achieve success until achieving great recognition in jewellery and watchmaking. This led many to call the brand ‘King of jewellers, jeweller of kings’.

So far-reaching is Cartier's reach that many of its designs have gone down in history as great watchmaking icons.

The great ICONS of Cartier

Throughout Cartier's history, some watches have become great symbols of elegance and prestige and have remained engraved in our minds. These include the Santos (1904), one of the first wristwatches, and the Tank (1919). Other outstanding creations followed, such as the Ballon Bleu (2007).

There is also another symbol that defines the image of this great brand of fine watchmaking, the Panthère.

Santos

The Santos watch was designed in 1904 for the Brazilian pilot Alberto Santos-Dumont. The aviator needed a watch for his flights, as the pocket watch was uncomfortable. The jeweller designed a flat wristwatch with an elegant square gold bezel that became a benchmark model in fine watchmaking for men.

Until then, wristwatches had only existed for women, hence their market success among men of the more privileged classes.

Tank

In 1919, during the First World War, Louis Cartier designed the Tank watch. This model was inspired by the shape of a tank from above.

The result was a rectangular dial with rounded edges. In addition, a sapphire crown, Roman numerals to indicate the hours and a minute scale inspired by the tracks of a train were integrated.

Ballon Bleu

The Ballon Bleu watch is one of Cartier's sportiest designs. It was launched in 2007 and has since become a classic and an icon of the brand. It is considered a design that reflects harmony and elegance through the simplicity of its appearance.

Panthère

The Panthère watch is a feminine model inspired by the shape of a panther, one of the most recurrent symbols in Cartier designs.

Today it has become one of the timeless icons of women's watchmaking. It is a flexible and elegant timepiece.

What's new at Cartier 2022

With these designs, the brand aims to demonstrate design mastery, excellence and creative freedom. 

Some of the collections that Cartier is delighting us with this year are...

Cartier Pebble

Cartier's creativity knows no bounds. The Pebble, born in London in 1972, was a daring and groundbreaking design for the time. Slightly larger than that of the 1970s, the Pebble was created by Cartier's ‘La City’ division.

Its curious shape

The Cartier Pebble is a perfect square set in the centre of a perfect circle, with the peculiarity that the square is rotated 90 degrees. In recent years Cartier has reissued many of these historic timepieces in limited editions.

The Cartier Pebble will be issued in a limited edition format of 150 pieces with a price tag of €48,400.

Coussin de Cartier

This is a new collection, it is clear from the images that the Coussin de Cartier watches are intended for women. They are watches with a square geometry, something we find in the iconic Santos.

Four of the Coussin versions use only diamonds in their bezel decoration, using their characteristic Roman numerals as hour markers.

While the second group consists of three versions with a mix of precious stones on the bezel, removing any kind of hour index.

Masse Mystèrieuse

We enter the world of mysterious watches, one of Cartier's great specialities, by innovating once again by applying mystery to the oscillating weight of the watch.

All this magic is due to the new 9801MC calibre, a patent-registered movement with eight years of research and development. Cartier states that ‘five different constructions were necessary before a prototype and two versions of prototypes could be launched to shape the final version of the calibre’.

Now you know what the Cartier ICONS are and some of their new collections. All the watches of this brand are pieces with personality with which to show your style, but they can also be a gift for a special person that will always remain.

In Pedro Rodríguez Joyeros we have different pieces of Cartier watches. If you are looking for an exclusive piece of fine watchmaking our team will be happy to advise you and help you make the right choice.

Customer Service Department

Contact our customer service department if you need personalised advice. We will be pleased to help you.

Schedule an appointment with us

If you wish, you can make an appointment with us on the day and time of your choice. You can schedule your appointment through:

- Telephone call: We will call you on the chosen day and time.

- Video call via Zoom connection

- Physical appointment in our Jewellery Shop in Gandia

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