Cartier was founded in 1847 when Louis-François Cartier, then an apprentice to Parisian jeweler Adolphe Picard, took over the business when his master passed away. By 1853, young Louis-François had become a favorite of Napoleon III’s cousin Princess Mathilde, who helped Cartier gain entry to Parisian society.

For the next quarter century, Cartier was strictly a jeweler, but in 1874, Louis-François’s son Alfred gained the company’s reins. He in turn brought his sons, Louis, Pierre, and Jacques, into the firm—it was this third generation of Cartiers that would make the Paris jeweler’s name synonymous with luxury wristwatches.

The first Cartier wristwatches were diamond-studded bracelets for ladies, which were introduced in 1888 and languished until Parisian fashions changed enough in the mid-1890s to ...

But the real wristwatch breakthrough came in 1904, when, according to Cartier lore, a Brazilian aviation pioneer named Alberto Santos-Dumont complained to his friend Louis Cartier of the shortcomings of fumbling with a pocket watch on a short test flight. Cartier made his friend a flat, square wristwatch called, appropriately, the Santos. In the process, Cartier popularized wristwatches in France and throughout the world.

In 1912, Cartier introduced the oval Baignoire and tortoise-shell shaped Tortue models, followed in 1917 by Cartier’s most famous early wristwatch, the Tank, which was reportedly inspired by the design of Renault tanks used during World War I. Rudolph Valentino wore a Tank in the 1921 silent classic The Sheik.

In the early 1920s, Cartier partnered with fellow Frenchmen Jaeger and Breguet to produce movements for its watches. Other illustrious Cartier collaborators included Swiss makers Vacheron Constantin, Patek Phillipe, and Audemars Piguet.

During the 1920s, Cartier started stamping its watches with four-digit reference numbers—today, knowledgeable collectors know to look for and verify these codes before purchasing an antique Cartier wristwatch. That way, they can tell for certain if the 1932 waterproof Pasha (made for the Pasha of Marrakesh) that they are about to purchase is real or a fake.

By 1940, Cartier had introduced a motoring watch, with a curved shape that was designed to be worn on the inside of the wrist—the winder was on the back of the watch, against the wearer’s skin, rather than the side. And then, in 1942, after the death of Louis Cartier, the company began several decades of stagnation.

Countless variations of the Tank appeared (in the Chinoise, horizontal bars at the top and bottom of the dial rest on the Tank’s vertical "treads"), and in 1965 there was even a watch whose body was shaped like a parallelogram. But it was not until the Must de Cartier in 1976 and the reissue of the Santos in 1978 that the firm was able to reestablish itself as a player on the wristwatch scene.

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Recent News: Cartier Watches

Source: Google News

What kind of swag does Justice Roberts get?
ABA Journal, May 23rd

Comparatively, the attorney general's gifts that year included an iPad, a Cartier watch and a Persian rug valued at $5,275. Under the Emoluments clause of the U.S. Constitution, federal officers can't accept gifts from foreign states. They do take the...Read more

Chief Justice, Attorney General Get Cool Swag from Foreign Dignitaries
Wall Street Journal (blog), May 23rd

In 2010, he received an iPad from from an Italian mayor, as well as a Cartier watch and Persian rug (valued at $5,275) from the attorney general of Qatar. The rug is apparently on display in Mr. Holder's office. No, he didn't keep the watch. It was...Read more

Strong Jewelry Sales Help Richemont to Soaring Sales, Profits
IDEX Online, May 22nd

Demand for jewellery was particularly strong; demand for Cartier's watch collections was solid, tempered by lower wholesale orders for steel watches. The significant increase in sales and positive gross margin development generated an operating margin...Read more

Van Cleef, Cartier Generated “Remarkable” Results Last Year
Jewelers Circular Keystone Online, May 21st

“Demand for jewelry was particularly strong; demand for Cartier's watch collections was solid, tempered by lower wholesale orders for steel watches.” See Richemont's latest financial statement. In related news, Marty Wikstrom has resigned from her role...Read more

Our Local Correspondents
New Yorker, May 19th

In profile, Tammaro, who was fifty-four, resembled the Indian on the Buffalo nickel, but he was a fey charmer who adorned his shaved head with a driving cap and his arms with a Cartier watch and a gold Hermès bracelet. The one constant of his...Read more

In the closet with Gok Wan
Express.co.uk, May 19th

But also my dad, who wore a Savile Row suit, a tie with a pin and a beautiful Cartier watch, just to work in his restaurant. Have you ever made a fashion faux pas? Yes, I'm always getting it wrong - from my blond quiff to the most expensive item in my...Read more

2 maids steal boss' Cartier, diamond ring
Inquirer.net, May 2nd

Upon the two women's arrest, the police recovered P4,000 in cash from them although they did not find Ramirez's diamond-studded ring valued at P1 million and a Cartier watch worth P250,000. Ramirez told the police that she was at work on Tuesday night...Read more

John Lloyd Cruz spends P2M in Ariara and gives a Cartier watch to Sarah ...
Examiner.com, April 24th

As of this day, April 25, 2013 (Philippine time) many people say John Lloyd Cruz has exclusively rented the Ariara Island in Palawan, but it seems that until now, he is not willing to give a detailed information regarding the issue even though he...Read more