Tropicana Sep-Oct 2019 #126 The Wellbeing Issue

THE TIME
Baignoire Allongée
manchette watch. While the exaggerated
jewels spread to gain the upper hand, the dial
of the original watch is off-centred.
A partly open-worked chain reveals a
glimpse of the skin and lightens the material
to create a casual yet stylish piece. Truly
imbued with the essence of the Panthère
de Cartier watch, in the mini watch, the
stylistic exercise concentrates on proportion.
This delicate jewel lends itself to pairings or
accumulations of several bracelets. A replica
of the original model, it takes its forms to new
heights of elegance. Faithful to the aesthetic
of the original model, this iconic piece is as
glamorous as ever, yet resolutely modern in its
design. These two faces of the timeless watch
express the indelible symbol’s ever freer,
more daring and triumphant elegance that
pushes to its very extremes through jewellery,
a celebratory, hedonistic and ultra-feminine
spirit.
A Lasting Legacy
Cartier has been creating wrist watches since
1904 and has carved a name for itself as a
daring and innovative brand that doesn’t
shy away from shapes. Transforming objects
and embracing beauty are key elements
of Cartier’s stylistic vocabulary and this
combined approach resulted in the birth of
Baignoire Allongée with diamonds set dial
the Baignoire watch. Streamlined, authentic
and sophisticated, it combines the very best
of Cartier designs.
The 1912 design of the watch that
would later be christened the Baignoire
demonstrated Cartier’s prowess in crafting
watchmaking forms when Louis Cartier
took the traditional round watch shape
and stretched it out. His stylistic research
culminated in two straight parallel lines
closed by two curves, which formed the shape
of a baignoire – bathtub in French. Paying
homage to the cult 1958 model, its design
remains unchanged, yet the piece itself has
evolved to offer a narrower bracelet and
redesigned Roman numerals on a silvered
sand-blasted background.
Like a fixation, the Baignoire watch
brings forth new desires, such as the yearning
to give its exuberant elegance texture and
relief in the Baignoire Allongée, an oversized
watch that stretched along women’s wrists,
combining excessive chic with supreme
simplicity. With a unique ability to twist a
classic and still keep the distinctly elegant
vibe that has characterised the French
maison since its founding in 1847, today,
the Baignoire watch asserts its own eternal
essence. An elegant ellipse uniquely forged
in a single line, the Baignoire watch is the
essence of Cartier. For women who have
their sights set high, who forsake trends and
fashions but opt for a timeless French chic –
it’s the signature piece.
Panthère de Cartier mini
TM | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019
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