Cartier

 

Louis-François Cartier (1819-1904) took over the jewellery workshop where he did his apprenticeship at 29, Rue Montorgueil in Paris from his master Adophe Picard.

 

Princess Mathilde, niece of Napoleon I and cousin to Emperor Napoleon III, made her first purchase from Cartier. In 1888 the first jewellery bracelet-watch for ladies were created.

 

Cartier received its first royal warrant as official purveyor to King Edward VII of England in 1904. Appointment as official purveyor to King Alfonso XIII of Spain. Louis Cartier created a watch with a leather strap, specifically designed to be worn on the wrist, for his friend the Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont. Queen Alexandra of The United Kingdom purchased a necklace in the Indian style. Opening of a new boutique in London in 1909, Pierre Cartier opened a subsidiary in New York.

 

Jacques Cartier (1884-1942) travelled to India to attend the Delhi Durbar, and to the Persian Gulf. Creation of the first mystery clock: Model A.

Louis Cartier created the Santos de Cartier model, one of the world’s first wristwatches, in 1904. He designed it for the valiant pilot Santos-Dumont, who wanted to be able to see the time without taking his hands off the controls of his aircraft. It features a square dial mounted on a case with rounded corners, visible screws and integrated lugs: an icon was born. The same year the bezel on a lady's round wristwatch was paved with diamonds and onyx to create the first "panther" motif.

 

Introducing another vision of time by Cartier, the Tank watch was created in 1917 and acquired the status of a classic in subsequent collections. Inspired by the shape of the allies’ military tanks, it captures the attention with the rigorous elegance of its refined design. Its gently cambered, rectangular case, with lugs hidden under vertical shafts, confirms its avant-garde aesthetics. Establishment, in New York, of the European Watch & Clock Co. Inc. in 1984, Cartier became partner to the International Polo Tournament in Windsor, United Kingdom.

 

In 1991 Cartier established the Comité International de la Haute Horlogerie (CIHH).

 

Then 10 years later Cartier creates the "Secrets et Merveilles" (Fine Jewellery collection) and concentrates on exhibitions ,"Story of.... Memories of Cartier creation" by Tokujin Yoshioka, at the Tokyo National Museum Creation of the Santos 100 Skeleton watch and "Cartier Treasures- King of Jewellers, Jewellers to Kings" at the Palace Museum, Beijing.

 

For almost a century, two watches have defied time: Santos de Cartier and Tank, two metaphors for time by Cartier. While each of them has its own special story, which is regularly presented in subtle new versions, both exemplify Cartier’s watchmaking identity, creative force and resolutely pioneering spirit.