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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.
Interviews & Articles
Don Levison on Cartier Tanks, Rolex Oysters, and Hamilton Venturas
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Cartier 18k Yellow Gold Large Tank Francaise Automatic Movement Watch With Box
Cartier Roadster 18kt Yellow Gold Chronograph Xl Watch
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Authentic Cartier Roadster 18k Yellow Gold Automatic Men's Watch
Stainless Cartier Pasha "seatimer" Chronograph No Reserve
Cartier Tank Americaine Watch 18kt Yellow Gold, Style 1710
Cartier Tank Louis Ultra-thin Watch
Authentic Cartier Louis Watch With Box And Papers
Cartier Calibre De Cartier W 7100041
Cartier 18k Gold Ladies Panther 
Cartier Calibre De Cartier Men's Stainless Steel Case Automatic Watch W7100037
Cartier Pasha Display Back 38 Mm **no Reserve** 
Cartier Vendome 18k Yellow Gold Watch 30mm
Solig 18k Gold Mint Condition Authentic Cartier
Cartier Pasha Seatimer #2790 Mens Automatic Watch Stainless Steel 40mm + Box Etc
Cartier Ronde Solo 36mm Large Size Men's Watch Mint Condition With Box
Cartier Tank 2384 Quartz Brushed Steel Francaise Ladies Watch - $1600
Cartier Pasha De Seatimer 2790 Automatic 40mm Large Stainless Watch Box Papers
No Reserve Authentic Cartier Francaise Tank Watch Men's Women's Wbox Gently Worn
Pasha De Cartier Automatic 2324 Watch Men's. 676325cd
Cartier Must 21 Chronoscaph Black Rubber
Cartier Santos Galbee Xl Automatic Ss/18k Men's Watch
Cartier Tank Americaine 18k Yellow Gold Ref#2482 Wristwatch
Cartier Santos Galbee 18k Gold / Ss Automatic Mens Wrist Watch 29x40mm Runs
Authentic Swiss Mens Cartier Santos Automatic Date, 18k Gold Bezel, C.2004, Wbox
Cartier Santos Guilloche S/s Mens 2319 Automatic Watch W/ Box + Papers
18k White Gold Men's Cartier Ballon Bleu Series Wristwatch
Men's Cartier Pasha Watch Automatic With Date 
Authentic Swiss Made 18k Gold & Ss Womens Cartier Santos Automatic, C. 2004
Midsize Cartier Santos Octagon 2tone 18k Gold/stainless Steel Date Watch Quartz
Cartier Santos Xl 100 (men's,women) Rare Limited Prd $7900 Retail Low Reserve
Cartier Tank Francaise Mens Steel Auto Watch W51002q3
Cartier Tank Francaise Stainless Steel Mens Automatic Watch Nr
Men's Cartier Santos Automatic 18k Solid Gold & Steel No Reserve
Cartier Santos Authentic Watch Steel, Large Unisex ,quartz Movement,w20060d6 
Cartier Pasha C Steel 35mm - White Face With Date
Cartier Pasha Chronograph 1352 Full Original Full Working Very Rare Nice Blue 
Lovely Authentic Women's Cartier Panthere 1320 Stainless Steel- Very Feminine!
Cartier Montres Santos De Cartier Watch...18 Kt & Ss Mens....classic!!
Cartier Santos 2319 Stainless Steel Automatic Men's Watch
Authentic Must De Cartier W/ Date - Argent 925 Sterling Silver Mens Watch W/ Box
Mens Midsize Must De Cartier Argent 925gp Trinity Dial Quartz
Cartier Pasha Automatic Chronograph Stainless Steel Man's Watch
Lady Cartier Santos Vendome 2tone 18k Yellow Gold & Stainless Steel Watch Quartz
Authentic Womens Cartier Panthere 1320, Stainless Steel, Swiss Made Elegance
Cartier Must 21 1340 Silver Dial 18k Yellow Gold & Stainless Steel*box & Papers 
Authentic Swiss Men's Cartier Autoscaph Automatic W/ Date Ref. 2427, C.2008
Cartier Ladies Santos 2 Tone 18k Stainless Steel Quartz Watch - No Reserve
Cartier Santos Ladies 18kt Gold Stainless Steel Two Tone Watch Jw613
Cartier Santos 18k Gold Steel Ladies Designer Dress Wrist Watch W Papers
Cartier Panthere Lady's Watch
Cartier Tank Basculante Mecanique Xl Full Size
Cartier Santos Midsize Automatic Ss/18k Gold Watch W/ Date
Men's Cartier Vendome Watch 18k Gold
Cartier 18k Gold Vermeil Men's Vintage Watch. No Reserve!
Rare Mens Cartier Rondo Silver 925gp Roman 2tone Dial Round Quartz
Montres Santos De Cartier Paris Unisex Watch Gold & Silver - Unworn - 1993
Collectable Original Cartier Panthere Cougar Quartz Men Watch
Beautiful Ladies Santos De Cartier Stainless Steel & 18k Yellow Quartz Watch
Santos De Cartier Octagon 18k/ss Roman Numeral Quartz Date Men
Recent News: Cartier Watches
Source: Google News
Tanja G on monochromatic
Vogue Australia (blog), June 14thPaired with a classic Rag & Bone T-shirt and dressed up with a Gucci belt, Tiffany's silver pearl necklace, Cartier watch and Gianvito Rossi shoes (from Farfetch it's a timeless girl-meets-boy chameleon. 8. Pair a cool bomber like this gold-embroidered ...Read more
Paris Hilton: Material Possessions Aren't Important To Me
The Inquisitr, June 13thAt the very least, Paris wants the diamond Cartier watch she said was a gift from her late grandmother. Paris seems to be having something of a self-crisis of late. In another interview for The Bling Ring, Paris called out the celebrity-obsessed...Read more
Jeweller waits for £100k goods taken in raid
Scotsman, June 6thThe Taylors' ordeal began in 2009 when John bought a Cartier watch as a present for his wife at a car boot sale. However the piece wasn't to Mrs Taylor's taste and some weeks later she advertised it for sale on her personal eBay account, including a...Read more
Manteca police aid feds in drug arrest
Stockton Record, June 5thBased on information gathered at Rojas' residence, police obtained a search warrant for a home in the 700 block of North King Road in San Jose, where authorities seized a 2012 Nissan Rogue, a Cartier watch and diamond earrings, officers said. HOME...Read more
Manteca investigation leads to almost 3 pounds of heroin
Manteca Bulletin, June 4thShe said that the SCU seized a 2012 Nissan Rogue at the residence, a Cartier watch and diamond earrings all of which belonged to the suspect. Rojas is scheduled to appear in the Manteca Branch of the San Joaquin County Superior Court on June 6 at 1:30 ...Read more
It's a wind up...Camilla spots gift watch is fake
Express.co.uk, May 27thIt's a wind up...Camilla spots gift watch is fake. THE Duchess of Cornwall showed she had an eagle eye for jewellery yesterday when she was presented with what at first looked like a valuable Cartier watch. By: Richard Palmer. Published: Tue, May 28, 2013...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 19thIn 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