Cartier watches are desirable, they are formal, and they are unique. The large number of royal warrants Cartier holds with royalty all around the world proves their exclusive nature. There are very few watchmakers and jewellers worldwide who are held in the same esteem as Cartier. Cartier demands respect.
Here we take a look at our favourite three Cartier men’s wristwatches.
Cartier Tank
The big tanks for the First World War inspired the elegant and classic Cartier Tank wristwatch. A WW1 Renault tank if we are to get specific. With this watch, Cartier made rectangular watches look mainstream, despite Jaegar LeCoultre also being well known for their rectangular watches.
The Cartier Tank has more than withstood the test of time, with the series going strong for over 100 years, not a massive surprise with iconic figures such as Andy Warhol wearing the watch.
All Cartier Tank models share the same case design because the case sides extend into the lugs in the same manner the tracks do on a tank.
The most accessible model in the Tank de Cartier family is The Tank Solo. It is quintessential Cartier: Finished in 18K rose gold with an automatic movement and a brown alligator-skin strap. The automatic movement in the Tank Solo is rare in the collection, with the bulk of the watches given quartz movements.
The Cartier Tank is one of few watches that are just as popular with ladies as gentlemen.
Drive De Cartier
The Drive De Cartier has hands of blue steel, an exquisitely finished dial and a self-winding movement housed in a 40mm cushion case. It is a watch for those who desire elegance but a sporty look.
Image credited to escapementmagazine.com
The gauges of vintage automobiles inspire the watch with a very unusual shaped case that borders on round and cushion.
When the Drive De Cartier was launched in 2016, it was one of Cartier’s first singularly male-orientated watches and was expected to be a game-changer. It hasn’t been; the classics are still overshadowing this stylish, simple, two-hand watch. However, there is no doubt that for the £13,000 price tag on this timepiece, any collector is getting a lot of watch for their one million, three hundred thousand pennies.
Santos De Cartier
If you want just one Cartier watch to add to your collection – Make it a Santos De Cartier. This watch is Cartier’s most iconic creation. It’s the watch that Louis Cartier famously produced in response to Alberto Santos-Dumont’s demand for a watch he could legibly use while flying.
Despite its first appearance over 100 years ago, this contemporary-looking watch is the Cartier trademark. Its gorgeous slim case, its soft square dial – perfectly balanced, and its infamous top-loading and visible screws make for a very stylish watch.
More recent upgrades in this range come in medium or large sizes and can either be steel or gold. They come with Cartier’s Quickswitch strap change system, allowing wearers to quickly change the strap from the leather option to the link option, which of course, benefits from Cartier’s Smartlink system, allowing the easy removal of links without the need for a screwdriver.
