Cartier

In 1888, the son of company founder Louis Cartier recognized the importance of the wristwatch and, in addition to his own ladies' models, added products from other luxury manufacturers such as Vacheron Constantin to his range. By the time the British court ordered no fewer than 27 tiaras for the coronation of the then Prince of Wales, King Edward VII appointed Cartier as purveyor to the court, and the London boutique was stormed by British high society, the House of Cartier had arrived in the watchmaking Olympus. The markets in still-Tsarist Russia also proved fertile; in 1909, the Cartier shop on New York's Fifth Avenue was stocking the rich, the beautiful, and famous. The ingenious watchmaker developed the reference to aviation pioneer Alberto Santos-Dumont in 1904. The Cartier Santos was the first true pilot's watch ever, and in the 1970s it experienced a brilliant rebirth in the "Les Must de Cartier" concept. A watch legend, similar to the Tank and Pasha collections, which caused a sensation in the Art Deco style in the second decade of the 20th century. Pasha was dedicated to the Sultan of Marrakesh, arousing the desire of the Maharajas in faraway India. In the first decades of the 20th century, other crowned heads discovered Cartier's exquisite taste – Cartier's rise to fame was unstoppable. Until the extinction of the family line in the fateful year of 1965 led to the splitting of the family business. The "Monde Cartier" became the "Vendome Luxury Group." But this did not diminish Cartier's reputation as a synonym for sublime luxury and established wealth. It has long stood for a lifestyle that could hardly be more luxurious, and other luxury product segments have also been occupied: perfume, eyewear, silk scarves, lighters, stationery, and leather goods – the sophisticated necessities without which the sophisticated woman and man of the world cannot leave the house. The unfussy, classic design – unmistakably Cartier – implies elite, refined standards. In 2009, Cartier celebrated its 100th anniversary in the USA, now under the umbrella of the luxury goods group Richemond. Cartier is the global leader in the jewelry segment.

One might see it as an irony of history, but the emerging aviation and military industries at the time promoted the rise of the wristwatch. The traditional pocket watches on their gold chains proved useless for feats of strength such as maiden flights or battles. Men considered the wearing of ladies' watches on the wrist after the turn of the century to be "unmanly." But as early as 1880, Wilhelm I had wristwatches built for his naval officers. Starting in 1904, the Brazilian Alberto Santos-Dumont took to numerous test flights with the forerunner of the Cartier Santos, and on November 12, 1907, the playboy and aviation pioneer wore "his" Santos on his wrist during his spectacular 220-meter powered flight. During the First World War, the troops followed suit, and the wristwatch eventually became popular in civilian society. The first Cartier Santos broke with the conventions of the time, which dictated that watches should be round, and featured a bold, square shape with rounded corners, a raised bezel, and a leather strap. Today, the most famous men's wristwatch in watch history is presented in three collections: the Santos de Cartier Galbée, the Santos 100, and the classic Santos-Dumont, which captures this attitude with alligator leather, a gold case, and a slimmer bezel. Complications? None other than a date display on the Santos-Dumont. The Santos Galbée features the typical small screws on the case and steel bracelet, as well as Roman numerals. Pure aesthetics for aesthetic purists. When watches grew in diameter in the 1980s, the dainty Cartier diameters appeared almost delicate. Today they are back in vogue, as are the bicolor versions, which had temporarily lost ground.

In 2009, Cartier presented the first fully in-house developed automatic movement, naming it 1904MC in homage to the Santos's birth year. A double barrel increases accuracy and power reserve, and the rotor, which propels the automatic movement with every movement, is based on an innovative ceramic ball bearing. Cartier entered the "Haute Horlogerie" category with the development of the Astrotourbillon, in which the rate deviation caused by gravity is compensated for with innovative mechanics. Cartier also entered the field of concept watches, such as the extraordinary ID Two, in which a vacuum inside the transparent case eliminates the need for screws.

"Innovation" is the credo of today's Cartier chief watchmaker, Carole Forestier-Kasapi. But even before her, strong, sophisticated women held sway. Jeanne Toussaint must have been gifted with absolute taste in the 1920s; she laid the foundation for the Must de Cartier, for it was the era of diamond cigarette holders, golden jewels, and pretentious little things. In the 1970s, Nathalie Hocq awakened Cartier from its slumber. Her father, Robert Hocq, had acquired Cartier in 1972. His daughter enjoyed a sophisticated career before bringing new life to the old, albeit well-oiled, machinery on Rue de la Paix. She was a sales and marketing talent with an unerring instinct for design, stones, exhibitions, people, and markets. She negotiated in Arabian harems and in New York's Fitch Avenue penthouses. "Mademoiselle Cartier," as she was respectfully called, and her habit of smoking black cigars made her fashionable. Today, the international marketing director is Hélène Poulit, and in Germany, Patricia Gandji. Women also hold leadership positions in China, Korea, Mexico, and Taiwan.