Great ‘Grams: The Cartier edition

Nick Kenyon

As you might have picked up if you follow me on Instagram (@nick.kenyon), I have a soft spot for design-focused watches, generally on the smaller side of 40mm and especially those that are vintage. As a result, one of my favourite brands is Cartier, thanks to the strength and consistency that has been present in their designs for more than a hundred years. In that spirit, I wanted to share a few sensational posts I saw this week that were showing off the range of design and technical prowess on offer from Cartier.

@misterenthusiast

The grey works sooooo well thanks again @nixen_bixen

This single pusher chronograph is part of the Collection Privée Cartier Paris, produced in a tonneau-shaped white gold case with wonderful blue dial markings that pair nicely with the blued steel hands. The manual-winding, dual-register chronograph is not your usual chronograph calibre either, as it was developed in partnership with F.P. Journe, Denis Flageollet and Vianney Halter. An absolute A-list cast of some of the finest watchmakers of their generation.

@amsterdamvintagecartier

“Baignoire Allongée” is French for elongated bathtub. A study by the New York Post claims there is a correlation between success and the amount of baths one takes. So wearing this Cartier 2606 is a guarantee for a succesful wristgame.

A parallel account to the famous @AmsterdamVintageWatches, this focuses solely on their Cartier offering, including this Baignoire Allongée in immaculate condition. They sure don’t design ’em like they used to.

@morillo55

drop

Posted by Gai Gohari, of the vintage watch dealer Classic Watch NY, is this incredible example of a Cartier Basculante from approximately 1934. Cartier had only been making watches for a short period at this point, and watches from this era of the jeweller are extremely rare in this condition, due to the very small number of watches that were produced. For example, from 1919 to 1960, Cartier made only 1,803 Tank watches, so any watch from that 41-year period is extremely special.

If you don’t follow Roni on Instagram yet, do yourself a favour and take a deep dive into his remarkable collection of watches and Art Deco objects that should be the envy of every collector. Here we have a double-signed Patek Philippe Calatrava that was retailed by Cartier, a Cartier Tank Cintrée and a Cartier Crash. He’s doing his bit to make small gold watches cool again.

You guys have asked for me to make a post talking about this for quite a while now.
This here, is a 1996 Tank Asymetrique made of platinum and guess what? It’s a piece unique.
Only 1 was ever made and sold in this dial variation and popped up at Christie’s in 2017 and then was sold at a bargain 25,000 USD. Although it smashed the estimate of 12,000–in my eyes, it’s still severely undervalued for this exclusive of a watch.
Its beauty breaks barriers, runs from the platinum case and the unique dial down to the white gold deployant clasp, ahhh, breathtaking.
Photo from Christie’s’ “The property of an important collector” auction. Lot 54. 2017

This fantastic account was only started recently, and does exactly what it says on the tin — an archive of all things Cartier. Posted here is a unique piece Cartier Tank Asymétrique, demonstrating how consistency and creativity work hand-in-hand in the design department of the French jewellery house, offering a twist on the iconic design that can’t help but make you double take.