WATCHES: THE CHOSEN ONE

Cartier’s Baignoire collection continues to radiate elegance on the wrist

Cartier’s expansive and expressive Baignoire collection will spoil any lady

Capturing the eyes of all in a room when worn on the wrists of well-known leading ladies like Catherine Deneuve, Romy Schneider, and Jeanne Moreau, the Baignoire watch was born in 1912 from an idea belonging to Louis Cartier himself. This idea was to stretch out to an oval shape the normally rounded Cartier watch, first introduced in 1910, based on the success of redesigning the Tank watch into a rectangle from a circle.

Baignoire’s concept uses two straight parallel lines closed by two curves at the end to form a bathtub shape, which is translated as baignoire in French. This unique shape represents freedom, ideas that stray from the mainstream, and the love of beautiful objects in general—all found in the classy and fashionable Cartier woman who exudes simplicity with elegance.

As favoured as this statement piece was when it first appeared, the Baignoire continues to evolve until today. First appearing with a simple dial, sapphire-blue hands, and Arabic numerals bordered by gold gadroons in the

1950s, Cartier’s chic spirit was perfectly captured and remains so. But today, cosmetic and other changes mean the Roman numerals appear on a silvered, sand-blasted dial, which is completed with a narrowed bracelet to offer a sleeker appearance and kept dry with a tight caseback to make it water resistant up to 30 metres.

Moreover, for jewel-loving ladies, a Baignoire model is available swathed in 228 diamonds along its white-gold gadroons. Paired with dark-blue alligator leather strap and powered by a quartz movement, the watch is perfect to elevate any mood. Looking for a more aesthetic take? A smaller Baignoire model is available wrapped in sensual yellow gold and paired with classic taupe-coloured alligator leather strap, ready to rock the wrist.

Striving to achieve perfection, Cartier also highlights its history from the 1960s using the 1917MC manual movement adapted with a “Swinging London” theme.

The Baignoire Allongée, an eye-catching oversized watch that hugs a woman’s wrist, first came into sight from the workshop of Cartier London to combine chic and simple characters. Available in two sizes—extra-large and medium—each one is decorated with Roman numerals, diamonds on the bejewelled bezel, and shaped after Clous de Paris, Cartier’s famous jewellery collection.

The Baignoire Allongée is available in extra-large and medium-sized models. Reflectingthe elegance of pink gold and set with 293 brilliant-cut diamonds, this dark-blue, alligator-strapped watch is a must-have collector’s item.

For a more classic take, the taupe alligator strap in this model is available with 617 diamonds in extra-large size, and with 582 diamonds in medium size—all created to the perfection that is Cartier.