From the outset Cartier watches that were elegant, small, accurate, and a statement of the times in which they were made. Cartier were unique among wristwatch designers and manufacturers because they owned their own retail outlets and were therefore able to stay abreast of changing fashion trends. Their genius for design often ment they set the fashion themselves, instead of following it.
In 1931 Cartier designed its first waterproof wristwatch with a three piece case made in Paris. Other designs to come from Cartier watches Paris were a covered wristwatch, a shutter wristwacth, a reversible wristwatch a chronograph and a minute repeater.
The 1940's saw a period when the "Moonphase" was a very sort after watch. Its movements were generally by Jaeger or the European Watch and Clock Company. Stainless steel was used during the war when gold became less avaliable.
After the Second World War in 1946 Cartier were looking for new designs, keeping up with the tradition of changing times. Cartier London started manufacturing men's wristwatches in a more serious way and the workshops were able to expand quickly because of the popularity of these custom made pieces. Diamond and sapphire watches were very popular during this period, as were Cartier watches with differnt coloured enamel round the bezel.
The 1960's saw Jean-Jaques Cartier watches design with R Emerson a wristwatch that was a large uneven shape that looked as if it had been in a car crash. This "Crash" watch was the wriatwatch that many people later called the "Dali" watch, after artist Salvador Dali. It really had nothing to do with him however, and the correct name for it is the "Crash" watch. Cartier only manufactured fifteen of these in the 1960's but later released a further series in the 1980's.
In the 1980's Cartier added about a 100 differnt models to their line and always remained one step ahead of the competition. They manufactured watches in steel, gold and combinations of the two for the fashio conscious people in today's market. This ability to see what the market demands is vital to being able to meet their customers expectations for watches of the greatest style, performance and quality.
Cartier has remained so special because they have always made wristwatches in a variety of shapes, round, square, tortue, tonneau, rectangular, and oval, rather than limiting themselves to one or two shapes. Their designs have always managed to be classic and modern at the same time. A Cartier watch can always be relied upon to make a fashion statement. Their emphasis an quality and design was a heritage from their beginnings as a jewellers. Their jewellery for women has always been among the most beautiful in the world, and remains a collectors pleasure. Cartier have consistently used the best quality for their watch cases, dials and movements, and this has reaped rich rewards as their customers return time after time to acquire more of the unique Cartier Magic.
