Men's Cartier Watches

Founded in Paris in 1847, Cartier is the consummate French Jeweler, specializing in acutely modern, supremely elegant jewelry designs (Love, Trinity and Juste un Clou to name a few) and some of the world’s most sought-after timepieces.

Cartier watches are the brainchild of Louis Cartier, son of founder Louis-Francois. The younger Cartier is said to have invented the wristwatch after Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont complained to him of the difficulty of reading the time on a pocket watch while flying a plane (a task that requires two hands). Thus, the Santos watch was born, a model that remains very much in demand when it comes to vintage Cartier watches.

Popular Styles

The most legendary of Cartier watches is of course the Tank, another Louis Cartier triumph of design, which has been a mainstay of the maison since 1917 (its shape is loosely based on the tracks of a World War I-era Renault tank).

Most collectible Tank watches bear the defining characteristics of the classic: a rectangular face with roman numerals, sleek, polished chemin-de-fer, sword- or spade-shaped hands and a blue cabochon sapphire winding crown. With its round face and four Arabic numerals, Pasha debuted in the 1980s and also stands out among Cartier’s must-have horological style icons.

Quick Facts

• French watchmaker Edmond Jaeger (of Jaeger-LeCoultre fame) produced the movements for Cartier’s watches in the early to mid 1900s
• Warren Beatty wore a Tank for photographs and interviews while promoting the film "Bonnie & Clyde" (1968)
• In 1981, the maison decried the rampant counterfeiting of its goods by publicly destroying hundreds of fake Cartier watches via steamroller