This Year’s Cartier Privé Collection Shines The Spotlight On Shaped Watchmaking

Santos, 1904. Tortue, 1912. Tank, 1917. Baignoire, 1958. Crash, 1967. All these and more. The most distinctive quality of Cartier’s many watchmaking icons is not just that there are so many of them, or that they go back so far, but that they are so varied in form. From squares to circles to everything in between and beyond, over the decades, Cartier geometry has been pushed and pulled into so many different explorations.

Pierre Rainero, Cartier’s image, style, and heritage director, boils this approach down to two principal reasons. “One was to take all opportunities to look for new propositions in terms of creation and shapes,” he says. He points out that, as a jeweller, Cartier always had a different approach to traditional watch manufactures, one where design and aesthetic were paramount.  “We had, automatically, I would say, a different eye, specifically on aesthetics. That, and a notion of elegance and refinement, and that’s how we worked on shape.” He adds that, even though watch movements, by virtue of its hands, naturally lent themselves a round shape, it was never seen as a constraint by Cartier. “We thought differently. Because we were different. And that explains how easily we proposed the first wristwatch—the square with round angles,” he adds, referring to the Santos. “It is not obvious for a traditional watchmaker, but, for us, it was very natural. Since then, the search for new shapes didn’t stop.

“The second aspect is also very Cartier—to think of the evolution of how people live, and to propose objects that can accompany them in a beautiful way,” Rainero continues. “To explore the possibility of new objects, suitable and appropriate for a new lifestyle.” Indeed, many of Cartier’s historical creations are paragons of the era they were from—Art Deco, mid-century modernism, 1960s counterculture, and so on. “We are not immune to what’s going on around us. Of course, we are influenced by everything that’s going on, and we integrate that naturally—like all creators of a period. It’s something natural. But I hope we always did in the Cartier way,” he muses. 

Since 2017, the Cartier Privé collection has offered up modern interpretations of the maison’s classic designs. For this year’s edition, which makes 10, it introduces the customary Les Opus highlights—and, for the first time, presents timepieces from three different-shaped collections instead of just one, drawing attention to the breadth of its historical designs. The trio are all cased in platinum, united by details such as manual winding movements, burgundy numerals, and ruby cabochon crowns. They are the Tank Normale, Tortue Chronograph Monopoussoir, and Crash Squelette.

“These three are, I think, quite meaningful for Cartier, for different reasons,” Rainero says. “The Tank is the epitome of the work of Cartier in terms of shapes, especially the Tank Normale, because it’s the first shape of the Tank, designed in 1917.” Indeed, as one of the most famous designs in watchmaking, the Tank needs no introduction. By today’s standards, there is a blunt simplicity to the uncomplicated, brushed surfaces of the Tank Normale, but it is no less elegant for it—especially not with these vintage dimensions of 32.6mm by 25.7mm. The accompanying seven-link platinum bracelet is an understated exclamation of supple luxury.

The Tortue Chronographe Monopoussoir originally stems from 1928, and while it evokes that vintage, this model is sized to match a contemporary era: 43.7mm by 34.8mm. It is a monopusher chronograph, which means that start, stop, and reset functions are all controlled by a single button on the crown, as opposed to needing additional pushers. Raneiro notes that the choice of this style of movement, as found on the original Tortue, was very much intentional. “It means you have the [chronograph function], but you don’t create too many volumes around the case. That’s why this specific complication is very Cartier. It sticks to the philosophy of keeping the essence of a shape, even while proposing the complication,” he explains.

And then there is the Crash Squelette, which, unlike the aforementioned, is limited to 250 pieces. First seen in 1967 as a bold experiment in asymmetry, the Crash has since stood alone in its uniqueness. This execution is also a bit of a watchmaking flex, as it sports a skeleton movement shaped to fit the case exactly. Its construction is patented, its supportive bridges have been moulded into Roman numerals, and it sports a hand-hammered finish for some textural counterplay. “The Crash is very interesting, because it shows a playfulness. You can question the perception of beauty,” Rainero says. “We used to call it the beauty of the accident. And we go further, because you have the movement, which is also illustrating the Cartier philosophy, with a movement designed to be seen. When we show something, there’s something to see, which is very specific.”