The Cartier Craze
An Exclusive Look at This Months Drop
I promised that this Substack would be a peak into my mind- an exclusive dialogue and peak into my world and drops. That being said, I wanted to share here a first look and more of the background behind my next drop! I’ve been sourcing for this drop since this summer, and was extremely meticulous about the pieces I wanted to feature. The styles that I’m featuring I have grown to love and truly look at as timepieces that are heirlooms, made to stay with you for life and beyond.
As you probably know by now, my love and appreciation for Cartier is personal, meaningful, and some of my proudest work and collaboration I’ve done. I absolutely love sourcing watches and find that Cartier for me is always a natural gravitation. Their watches walk the fine line between jewelry and hardware- a rare mix that always feel confident when wearing. My visit with the Cartier team to their facility in Switzerland only made my love, appreciation, and knowledge of Cartier all the more deep and I feel so lucky that I’m able to share that with all of you.
Without further ado let’s dive in- SO excited to share this first look with all of you. Let me know which pieces you’re most excited for and if have questions on anything!
The Ethos:
My ethos for this drop was rooted in timelessness. Similar to the watch drop I did with Girls O Clock in August of 2023, I specifically looked for pieces that could essentially be heirlooms- informing the styles of the past and futures that remain with us for life. The pieces featured in this drop are all shapes- either the Baignoire or the Tank that I feel are some of the most timeless and iconic styles Cartier has ever released. As all of my vintage drops are rooted in timelessness, to me, there’s nothing more timeless than a watch. Both of my watches, the mini Tank and Baignoire signified different points in my life, I wear them every day, and cannot wait to have them with me through out my life and pass on. I don’t need anything more in terms of watches or even wrist jewelry, I have the perfect capsule made to take me through life. That was really the ethos for this drop and the pieces I sourced.
The Background:
The Cartier Baignoire: The Cartier Baignoire first debuted in 1906. As we know by its name in French, its oval-shaped case was inspired by a bathtub. Designed by Louis Cartier, the watch was part of the brand’s commitment to creating timepieces that blended elegance with innovation- something that Cartier has always done and will continue to do exceptionally well. The Baignoire has been worn by icons in through out history which include: Catherine Deneuve, Romy Schneider, George Harrison, Jeanne Moreau, and so many more. While the Tank has always been somewhat of an iconic style, it’s been amazing seeing the public infatuation with the Cartier Baignoire grow over the last three years. I remember when I was looking to source my first watch and was seeing the Baignoire style going for $2K-$3K…now they are impossible to find in store and go for nothing less than the $8K-$12K range for the most part.
The Cartier Tank: The Cartier Tank is one of the most iconic and enduring watch designs in history, first introduced in 1917. Its clean, rectangular case was inspired by the shape of military tanks from World War I, which Louis Cartier observed while visiting the front lines. Over the decades, it has been worn by influential figures such as Jackie Onassis and Andy Warhol, securing its place as a timeless classic in the world of horology. The Cartier mini Tank Allongee, which will also be featured in the drop, was introduced in 1997. As we’ve seen, the infatuation with smaller mini styles have really been developed over the last 30ish years for the mass market, and we’re only seeing that continue to grow.
The Collection:
While many of us have gotten to know the yellow gold Baignoire styles, the white gold style is quite rare to find. When I sourced both the big and mini white gold Baignoire, I fell in love with them both, and I am NOT a white gold girl at all. I find the white gold extremely chic, especially the little one with the beige band…something about the three colors of the watch face mixed with the band stopped me right in my tracks. I personally own the yellow gold Baignoire style that is featured in the drop and truly not a moment goes by when I look at my watch and my heart skips a beat. It’s such a beautiful piece to me, and it always will be, which is really where my love from Cartier comes from.
The Tank styles, both the mini and Tank Louis, are iconic of course. We’ve seen a massive interest and obsession with the mini Tank which I was so excited to source. Another nod to my personal mini Tank which I own and love- it was my very first watch purchase, the most expensive thing I had ever bought myself, which has appreciated in all the best ways. Carter just last year re-released the Mini Tank which has flown upon it’s release in November. I strongly believe we’re going to continue seeing a massive interest in smaller watch styles.
Enjoy a first look at the full collection- can’t wait to share this with all of you!
Drop is live on themillennialdecorator.com 12/18 at 12 PM
The tank will always be timeless. Buddy of mine just bought a new one and the whole group chat lost its mind 😂. We all love it.
What year did you find baignoires for 2-3k because wow