Why This Romanov Continues to Inspire Cartier Watch Designs
In the early 20th century, Grand Duchess Vladimir of Russia was Cartier’s biggest client. As a token of their friendship, legend has it that in 1912 Louis Cartier designed and gave her an elegant oval timepiece that would still resonate years later. But it’s thanks to the shrewd Grand Duchess that her Cartier stash made it out of Russia at all—and went on to inspire countless future designs.
As one of the last Romanovs to flee St. Petersburg during the revolution, the Grand Duchess was forced to leave her beloved jewels behind—but after escaping she persuaded a British antiques dealer in Russia, Bertie Stopford, to sneak into her palace and get her treasures out of the safe. He then ferried them out of the country wrapped in newspaper, and her children sold them to support themselves in exile.
The Grand Duchess died in 1920, but her legacy lives on through her jewels (some, including the Vladimir tiara, are now owned by Queen Elizabeth II) and her enduring influence as one of Cartier’s greatest patrons. Her oval timepiece—its whereabouts are, sadly, unknown—became the inspiration for Cartier’s 1958 Baignoire, a stylishly curvaceous design the shape of which, true to its name, resembles a bathtub. Though a coveted model among collectors (myself included), the original Baignoire hadn’t been produced in decades, but this year Cartier has reissued it.
“The Baignoire is one of my favorite women’s models,” says Pierre Rainero, Cartier’s international director of image, style, and heritage. “The first large Baignoire was a model for men, for dandies. For me the best reward is to see the Baignoire successful again. Interestingly, shapes are very much inscribed in the style of a period. We see that often with cars, when certain models come back in favor. We went back to the Baignoire’s original oval design from the ’50s. A generation later, people are rediscovering this model. That’s the best reward.”
The Baignoire is just one of the brand’s iconic styles made new this year. “We are not born watchmakers but jewelers,” Rainero says. “As jewelers you focus more on what makes an object beautiful, not only on the technique.” The focus on aesthetics is clear in a collection of reimagined classics: The 2019 Tank Chinoise Red is a tribute to the signature 1921 rectangular model, with an 18K white gold case framed by lines of brilliant-cut rubies and diamonds, and sleek black enamel.
Even the house’s famously amorphous Crash watch—which, the story goes, was originally a Baignoire Allongée that melted when it was worn in a fatal car crash, thus inspiring the signature curvy style—was reimagined as the Panthère Crash with two diamond-studded panther heads wrapping around a twisting case. There is a Panthère de Cartier mini-model that features a smooth, silky gold bracelet that can be looped three times around the wrist, and a Panthère Manchette, whose square dial sits off-center on a wide gold bracelet.
And a personal favorite, the sleek, figurative Révélation d’une Panthère, which reinvents the iconic feline that made its debut in 1914 and thrived in the hands of Cartier’s legendary creative director Jeanne Toussaint. It features the silhouette of a panther’s head in 650 moving brilliant-cut diamonds on a black lacquer dial—worthy of any Grand Duchess’s appreciation, then and now.
The New, Must-Have Watch Shapes
Building a watch collection isn’t too different from building a well-curated wardrobe. It starts with laying a foundation of the classic shapes and signature styles. After that you look to discover those unique designs that reflect your personality, your sense of whimsy or fantasy. Lucky for you, we have reviewed the newest watch collections and uncovered this year’s most arresting shapes and designs, from a fan-shaped Art Deco–style model to an octagonal sautoir.
But most of these timepieces aren’t just for show, they also appeal to serious collectors with an appreciation for the best Swiss mechanical movements—which happen to come wrapped inside some of the most beautiful designs.
This story appears in the October 2019 issue of Town & Country. SUBSCRIBE NOW
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