Pre-SIHH 2019 – Introducing the Cartier Libre Jewellery Collection – Freedom of Shape and Colour
Cartier manages to fuse a unique touch of French sophistication with a very liberal attitude towards design. Cartier’s love affair with fascinating shaped watches has lasted for a century and you’d be hard pressed to find a straightforward round watch chez la Maison. Unusual shapes, like the square Santos, the rectangular Tank, the barrel-shaped Tortue, or even the weird and wild 1967 Crash watch inspired by a Baignoire Allongée model that was purportedly mangled and melted in a car crash, have been and still are very much an identity trait of the brand.
In order to think about the best women’s watches, we must first ask ourselves: “What is a women’s watch?” At Cartier, the answer is particularly interesting: as the Maison’s 100+ years of watches has been taken a particularly fluid approach to their collections, with models like the Tank or the Tortue being equally well-suited to male or female wrists, a notion that seems particularly modern and in line with a singularly French (even Parisian) notion of elegance. And so, the question of “the best” of Cartier’s women’s watches is, above all, a question of which sizes will fit a smaller, feminine wrist, rather than which ones are categorised as “women’s”. The trouble is that leaves us too spoilt for choice. So, rather than attempting to define “best”, here are the watches that I will buy when Santa slips a Cartier voucher called “Pick any Six” down the chimney – one from each of Cartier’s greatest collections. My choices are, inevitably, subjective, so I will endeavour to explain my reasons for each one. BALLON BLEU 33MM IN STEEL Given how quickly it comes to mind when we say “Cartier watch”, it’s hard to believe that the Ballon Bleu is barely more…
I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for the Aquaracer. To my mind, it’s something of an unsung hero in TAG Heuer’s chronograph-heavy line-up. But the modern diver looks the business and, in a water-loving country like Australia, makes sense. It’s also quite a youthful feeling watch, which makes a nice changeup from the current litany of heritage-inspired offerings. And while the Aquaracer has never been particularly colour-averse, it’s somewhat ironic that this stealthy, blacked-out option is all about the colour. It’s offered in three variants, with blue, rose gold or yellow detailing, and today we’re having a look at this not-so-mellow yellow fellow. Fundamentally, it’s a watch that’s pretty familiar: 41mm across, with a case made from lightweight titanium coated with a black PVD, and fitted onto a lovely sailcloth-style nylon strap. The high-carbon content comes into play on the bezel and the dial. That distinctive shaped bezel has a carbon fibre bezel insert, replete with subtle whirls and swirls. The dial bears a similar pattern of carbon fibre-like flecks, but, interestingly, the dial isn’t actually made from carbon fibre, but rather rendered in an ersatz carbon fibre pattern, which still looks cool, especially with the grey…
