In 1847, Cartier established his name in providing jewelry to the Royal family in Paris. Cartier's jewelry was characterized by a light, airy touch, in contrast to the overly formal and overwrought ornaments of the period. In early 20th century, watch was produced
In 1904, Louis Cartier met the Brazilian aviator, Alberto Santos-Dumont, who complained of the unreliability and inconvenience of pocket watches in flight. Cartier rose to the challenge, designing a flat wristwatch with a distinctive square bezel. This watch was not only a hit with Santos-Dumont, but also with Cartier's many clients. Thus, out of this timeless design, the "Santos" watch was born. Incredibly enough, this Cartier “Santos” watch is still produced today in much the same form.
The introduction of the Baignoire and Tortue Cartier watch models (both of which are still in production today) took place in 1912, followed by the Tank model's debut in 1917. In 1932, the watertight watch, made especially for the Pasha of Marrakesh, raised the bar even higher. Needless to say, the innovations, both in terms of design and technology, continued apace.
Today, Cartier's best-sellers is "Tank" watch ; the hot and fashionable "Tank Francaise", a distinctive sports watch similar in concept to the Santos; the "Pasha" watch, which has become a very fine watch for ladies; and the "Panther" watch , which features a beautiful bracelet available in 18K gold, stainless steel and gold, or stainless steel. The Santos 100 is also one of the hot models for Cartier.
Amongst the recent Cartier watches, Santos 100 solid Pink gold is my favourite, it is priced at HKD$184,000.00.
HK Snob