Cartier jewellery watches

Even before the digital horological fair Watches and Wonders kicks off next month (Apr 7 to 13), brands have been hard at work revealing some of their novelties as a warm-up to this event. Cartier, always a brand to be counted on to launch a solid slate of covetable timepieces for the year, has unveiled five of its jewellery watches as a dazzling teaser.

Three of the models, unsurprisingly, take their cues from the brand’s emblematic panther. Another channels reptilian sinuosity with its flexible, multi-part bracelet. Moving away from the animal kingdom, the Rosary Watch has a bracelet that features geometric interlinked circles.

Marie-Laure Cerede, director of design for watchmaking at Cartier, shares, “Our creations transcend all categories. They are not just instruments for telling the time, nor are they simply jewellery. They are a third type of object with their own uniqueness. Cartier watches only resemble themselves.” Take a closer look to see if you agree.

01: Panthere Songeuse watch

Two of the three 28.4mm, white gold Panthere Songeuse models highlight the art of gem-setting. Here, stones are placed by hand, one at a time, to create the eyes, ears, nose, paws, musculate and limb structure of each panther. A third, colourful model spotlights the metiers d’art of champleve enamel: Enamel powder is deposited in tiny cavities within the metal of the dial, and five different colours of enamel are fired, one at a time. Finally, the polisher goes to work to create the final finishing and a subtler gradient effect.

02: Rosary watch

Cartier Rosary Watch
The Rosary watch

The interlinked curved discs that form the bracelet of the Rosary Watch have a geometric aesthetic that alludes to the timepiece’s Art Deco inspiration. This repeated pattern contrasts with the random full paving on the case, dial and bracelet, which is set with 1,191 brilliant-cut diamonds. The fully diamond-set white gold timepiece is 17mm in diameter.

03: Reptilis watch

Cartier Reptilis jewellery watch
The Reptilis watch

As its name suggests, the 12.8mm Reptilis watch has a sinuous quality made possible by intricately connected mobile elements including diamond-paved chevrons and squares set with princess-cut diamonds. At the centre of this snaky situation sits a rectangular dial with four diamond hour markers. The white gold timepiece features a total of 232 brilliant-cut diamonds and 70 princess-cut diamonds.

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