Cartier may not be the first brand that will come to your mind when thinking about haute horlogerie. But you’d wrong! It is for sure a prestigious name with a great past and some serious skills in gem setting or jewelry. But, alongside the fact that it is the second- or third-best-selling Swiss watch brand in the world after Rolex (Omega and Cartier both claim to be number two), it is now a pure watchmaker, with a proper manufacture and highly recommendable products. Let’s find out, with our colleagues of WatchTime, how Cartier became serious about watchmaking.
In recent years Cartier, the king of haute joaillerie, has begun storming the bastions of haute horlogerie. In April 2008, Cartier startled the watch world with the introduction of its first ever Geneva Seal watch, the Ballon Bleu Flying Tourbillon. At the time, some watch industry observers considered it a stunt.
