What’s the deal with Must de Cartier? The story behind Cartier’s experiment with affordable watches

Zach Blass

With Cartier being irrefutably red-hot at present, it would seem inconceivable that, once upon a time, the Maison was struggling to sell its watches. The so-called quartz crisis caused a shockwave throughout the watch industry, and Cartier, like many European watch brands, was not immune to the ripple effect that more accurate and cost-effective quartz watches created. Therefore, Cartier was in search of a solution. A solution that would allow the brand to continue to create timepieces befitting of its storied name, but at a price point that could better compete in this new quartz era. And that solution, as we know now, was Must de Cartier.

For a celebrated brand like Cartier, it could be a death sentence to make its products less luxurious and more affordable. Once you go back down in price, it becomes very hard to return to higher prices – something we’ve seen TAG Heuer grapple with over the last 40 years since its 80s-era move down-market, kickstarted by the original Formula 1. While Cartier today is known today for making watches in a wide variety of metals including stainless steel, gold, and platinum, historically, its watches have been primarily cased in precious metals – which means a more expensive watch. This is where Robert Hocq, Alain-Dominique Perrin and Must de Cartier enter the picture.

In 1972, Robert Hocq – a savvy investor and a former member of the French Resistance – purchased Cartier Paris. (After Pierre Cartier’s death in 1964, the three Cartier offices – London, New York and Paris – were sold by the Cartier family.) Hocq and Perrin, who was a General Director of Cartier Paris, birthed the concept and sub-brand of “Les Must de Cartier” – a line of more price-approachable Cartier products that were “must-haves” so to speak. Indeed, according to The New York Times, the Must name comes from an utterance of a Cartier employee: “Cartier, it’s a must!”

Les Must de Cartier encapsulated accessories including wallets, lighters, and, as we all know now, watches. In some respects, the strategy behind Must de Cartier watches was akin to how Tudor and Rolex worked prior to Tudor’s more established contemporary independence. Tudor, the shield that protects the Crown, was born originally to offer consumers and military customers Rolex-cased and made watches at a lower price point – made possible by merging Rolex cases and bracelets with mass-produced and more cost-effective ETA calibres in place of its in-house movements.

Must de Cartier watches followed a similar framework, utilising Cartier designs with more cost-effective quartz or ETA calibres in place of more premium movements (such as Frederic Piguet, which Cartier would eventually shift towards in the ’80s)  and less costly cases made from gold-plated 925 silver in favour of more expensive solid gold. For reference, this Must de Cartier Tank with a lacquered “lemon” dial retailed for US$350 in 1977, according to the advertisement shown earlier above – much more affordable than the solid gold Cartier watches of the era.

While not all of Cartier’s designs were given a Must de Cartier makeover, iconic marquee shapes like the Vendome and Tank were leveraged in Must de Cartier watches. These Must de Cartier Tank watches were identical in shape and size to the Tank Louis watches of the era.  The “Lemon” model pictured above is a Must de Cartier Tank with a hand-wound movement: its sole distinction being a less expensive case material, a mechanical movement, and a “Must de Cartier” branded dial.

In some respects, Must de Cartier is to Cartier what the MoonSwatch is to Omega. This is definitely not the case in a quality dropoff sense, but the comparison holds when you look at the elements of playfulness and variety in colour and pattern expression. While case design remained faithful to Cartier signatures, the Must de Cartier watches had a far more colourful range of expressive dials. With these watches being easier and less expensive to produce, along with such a wide variety of playful iterations, it proved to be a smash hit in its time. It is said Cartier went from selling around 3,000 watches per year to 160,000 by the late 70s in the wake of its introduction. Also, despite the delineation of Must de Cartier versus the more prestigious Cartier, even more glamorous figures such as legendary designer Yves Saint Laurent were known to wear them.

By the early 2000s, the Must de Cartier branding and range would be phased out after three decades as Cartier (now owned by luxury conglomerate Richemont) felt it no longer required a more accessible white-label brand. While once seen as a lifeline, once the brand returned to a stronger and more comfortable position in the marketplace, Cartier likely determined the sub-brand had become a threat to the exclusivity and status of the core luxury brand. However, the line’s colour and playfulness have made a lasting impact – even informing some of Cartier’s latest designs (particularly the Tank).

While Must de Cartier is no longer a brand, Cartier subtly acknowledges the significance and value of the Must de Cartier era and mission with today’s Tank Must models. These models either represent an entry-level configuration of the Tank in steel or more colourful iterations that depart from signatures such as Roman numerals. In 2021, Cartier caught the attention of collectors worldwide with an RGB trinity of Tank Must watches – undoubtedly Must de Cartier in flavour – and even a Tank Must Solarbeat (solar-powered) model that was meant to speak to and be an attractive olive branch for a younger and more environmentally-conscious clientele.

Some Cartier watch snobs will decry Must de Cartier as an abomination that threatened Cartier’s precious standing and prestige. But real enthusiasts recognise that not only did it save Cartier watches so we may still enjoy them today, but also opened the door to a modern era of Cartier that was and remains much more willing to indulge in colour and playfulness at all points on its pricing spectrum. Must de Cartier models also remain relevant today as some of the most affordable entry points into collecting vintage Cartier – meaning these watches continue to be appreciated by swathes of watch lovers.