Cartier In Good Shape

From October 7-10, the public is invited to Cartier’s Geneva boutique at 35 Rue du Rhône. Here the brand’s heritage spanning from the present day back to 1847 will be showcased through 22 timepieces dating from 1908 to 2019. These are all examples of the maison’s most recognizable shapes, including the Santos, Tank, Cloche, Tonneau, Crash, and Tortue. Not only does the exhibition celebrate the unmistakably French design of the brand, but also its long-standing roots in Swiss watchmaking. 

Two of the twenty-two watches, a Tonneau skeleton model launched in 2019 and a Tank Cintrée skeleton model launched in 2018, both in Platinum are also celebrating the tenth opus of the annual Cartier Privé edition, the rare collection reinterpreting some of the brand’s most emblematic watches, often in platinum and always with in-house movements.

“This exhibition in Geneva reflects the longstanding relationship between Cartier and Switzerland, a country that lies at the heart of our watchmaking identity. I am delighted to share this exceptional experience with our clients, collectors, and with everyone wishing to discover the world of watchmaking. It is a celebration of the heritage, creativity, and unique craftsmanship that continue to define our Maison today.” says Alban du Mesnil, Cartier Switzerland Managing Director.

Ever since 1904, when Cartier was one of the first to start making wristwatches with the square Santos with rounded edges, shapes has been the driver of the maison. In the 122 years that followed, the maison kept creating expressive forms ranging from the bell-shaped Cloche, and perhaps the most recognizable, the twisted Crash whose design history is said to be linked with both a car crash twisting a Bagnoire case and the melting watches of Salvador Dali’s surrealistic dreamscapes. 

Dedication to crafts

Cartier’s dedication to combination of crafts has been ever-present since Louis-François Cartier took over a jewelry and watchmaking workshop in Paris. This can be seen in, for instance, the platinum Baguette bracelet-watch from 1927 on which baguette-, single-, brilliant-, and semi-circular-cut diamonds are combined into an elongated rectangle that sparked attention in the Art Deco era.

The watches in the exhibition are fetched from the Cartier Collection, the brand’s own collection of 3’500 watches, jewelry, and precious objects made by the maison between the foundation year 1847 and present day. 

The curved, elongated, shapes and warm metals of the watches are also reflected in the scenography of the exhibition. Unfortunately, yours truly had a severe man cold and could not attend the preview of the show, but the brand claims that “brushed gold finishes, warm wood textures, curved silhouettes and subtle light contrasts create an environment that echoes the elegance and refinement of the creations on display.”

Last but not least, I remind our dear readers of the short time timespan of the exhibition. It is only open October for four days from October 7–10. After that, Watchmaker of Shapes, Master of Crafts will move on to another location in the Cartier universe.