For Cartier, the concept of “time” is a recurring cycle and not linear, as it is commonly presented. This unique vision ensures that the Maison is always in a process of transformations and reinventions, a continuous evolution that takes us into the future with the launch of modern classics. The watches leave their mark on the present, but are also adapted to the evolving future with infinite creativity. This year, the focus of the Cartier’s Watches & Wonders 2023 collection is therefore on this creativity behind the designs full of form and character.

Tank Normal (Cartier Privé)

Each year, a rare watch is added to the Cartier Private Collection (the gathering place for collectors who celebrate and explore the Maison’s iconic watch models through limited edition launches). During Watches & Wonders, Cartier Privé unveils the 7th copy: the Tank Normale. This year, Cartier is launching an hour/minute version of the celebrated Tank, borrowing the proportions and bevelled sapphire crystal of the original. Available in yellow gold on a brown alligator strap and in platinum on a black alligator strap. Cartier is also launching a version with a skeleton movement, in combination with a 24-hour complication marked by a sun and a crescent moon. To symbolize the transition from day to night, the timepiece features a gradation of shades that adorn the two halves of the dial. This Skeleton Tank is available in a limited edition of 50 numbered watches. A version set with brilliant-cut diamonds completes the set, in a limited edition of 20 numbered pieces, with an alligator strap in two shades of blue and a brilliant-cut diamond on the winding crown.

Tank Americaine

Launched in 1989, the Tank Américaine took its inspiration from the Tank Cintrée watch, which gave it its curved case. At the same time, the Tank Américaine introduced the first adjustable strap, adapted to the famous folding clasp, patented by Cartier in 1910. In 2023, the Maison’s design studio enhances the original design of the watch and its curved shape by cutting a finer, more acrobatic line. The purity of the form is further enhanced by the style of the dial and the flawless integration of the stretchers in the extension of the strap. Equipped with the new 1899 MC movement for slimmer cases, the Tank Américaine watch is available in full gold and steel with a leather strap, rose gold and diamonds with a leather strap or diamond-set white and rose gold with a metal strap. Specially designed for the Tank Américaine, the links feature polished facets that catch and reflect the light.

Santos-Dumont (Skeleton)

Taking the sleek, understated shape of the iconic Santos-Dumont watch to the next level: that was the challenge for the Cartier Manufacture, which this year introduces a new, specially developed automatic skeleton caliber 9629 MC. By staying true to the elegance of the original 1904 model, the tradition lives on. The latest Santos-Dumont watch, reinterpreted in 2019, features a skeleton movement, with every structural detail paying homage to aviation. The movement, innovative and narrative, contains a miniature functional oscillating weight in the form of a replica of the Demoiselle, a pioneering aircraft designed by the pilot ‘Santos-Dumont’ in 1907. The development of this new microrotor caliber cost the Cartier Manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds almost two years and consists of 212 components. Made in rose gold and steel, the Santos-Dumont skeleton watch goes one step further as a limited edition edition in yellow gold and marine lacquer: all details are lacquered, including the skeleton bridges on which the lacquer has been delicately applied by hand.

Baignoire

Since its creation in 1912, the Baignoire watch has taken on multiple forms, though each time true to its heritage. This year, the scale and the function change. In a new alignment of proportions, the dial and signature Roman numerals are framed by a fuller gold rim. Cartier examines the oval of the dial, the watch’s hallmark, and converts it into a bezel that slides as close to the wrist as possible. This new concept emphasizes the sensual character of the watch, whose curved case guarantees comfort. In rose gold, yellow gold or fully encrusted with diamonds, the new Baignoire celebrates the bright, sun-kissed gold of the very first watch. Purity of line, precision of form, precise proportions and precious details: it is part of the design culture of Cartier and can be endlessly combined with other iconic creations of the Maison. Delicate in its dimensions, it also leaves its mark of character on a black lacquered leather strap.

Clash[un]limited

The Clash [Un]limited watch is characterized by an elegant mechanism that stands out for its aesthetics, creating a jeweled watch that combines finesse with strength. With beads, picot studs, clou carrés and flexibility, the Clash de Cartier characteristics come together. An artistic style that is complemented by Cartier’s graphic precision through movement, from the beads that roll over each other to the bracelet’s hinges, all shaped to create suppleness against the skin. Jeanne Toussaint’s heritage and sense of volume is evident in the new model as the Clash [Un]limited watch uses chromatic contrasts to emphasize the geometric motifs of the design. An alternation of brushed and satin gold and a combination of yellow or rose gold with a new shade of gold in a violet hue, developed entirely for Cartier, emphasizes the contrast. The Clash [Un]limited watch is available in diamond-set yellow gold, rose gold and white gold. The designs are also a combination of exceptional stones that enhance the design in black and white with onyx, black spinels, obsidian and diamonds, or in different colors with coral, black spinels, chrysoprase, tsavorites and diamonds.

La Panthere de Cartier

Cartier’s iconic panther is the inspiration for the Maison’s latest jewelery watch. The panther, as it were, closes its jaws on a black lacquer dial, the color of which reflects its iconic spots. A masterpiece that owes its elegance to the jeweller’s craftsmanship, with manual finishing, lacquered and polished spots and the setting. The strong character of this watch is especially reflected in the sculptural panther head, designed in three dimensions. This architectural approach to the panther refers to the jewelry launched in 2005, where geometric cut-outs and sharp angles were introduced for the first time. The bracelet of the watch has been developed in collaboration with the design studio and manufacturers and is therefore extremely flexible. Equipped with a sophisticated system and without visible hinges, the watch falls as close as possible to the wrist, magnetic and seamless. The design is available in yellow or rose gold speckled with black lacquer and tsavorite eyes or in white gold with diamonds and emerald eyes.