Watch Historian
Watches & Watch Brands
Cartier Watches
In 1847, Louis-Francois Cartier takes over the shop of Adolphe Picard, and business begins to increase. In 1902, the Prince of Wales declared Cartier the “Jeweler of Kings for King of Jewelers”. Alfred Cartier had three sons named Louis, Pierre and Jacques, who took over their father’s business and continued to manage it. Later, in 1904, aviator and friend, Alberto Santos-Dumont tells Louis that he cannot read the time on his wristwatch and control a plane at the same time. Louis soon begins working on a solution, and creates a wristwatch that would perform properly while allowing the pilot to fly the plane. In 1914, the motif of the panther spots was first created on a ladies wrist watch, and soon thereafter, it became more apparent in the watches as Cartier’s unique style. In 1977, the vermeil watches were created by Cartier. They were the first vermeil watches to include mechanical movement, and became very well liked by designers such as Yves Saint Laurent. Among its collections are the Collection Privée Cartier Paris, the Cartier Libre, the Déclaration, the Lanières, the Baignoire, the Tortue, the Tonneau, the La Dona De Cartier, the Tank, the Santos De Cartier, the Pasha De Cartier, the Roadster, and the Ligne 21 De Cartier. There are numerous styles and variations for every single taste, including jewelry watches with accents made out of platinum, yellow gold, white gold, pink gold, steel, and titanium. Over the past century, Cartier has established a well-known reputation as one of the leading watchmakers in the world; its watches represent elegance, class, and exquisite perfection and style.