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Since its conception in 1847, the “Jeweler of Kings and the Kings of Jeweler”, his descendants and eventual new owners, have continuously designed and manufactured the finest watch. Though the Cartier brand was founded by Louis-Francois Cartier, it was the genius of Louis Cartier, the grandson, which made Cartier, watches a leading watch brand in terms of innovations in technology more so with its bold and classic designs.

The golden years of the Cartier brand started at the turn of the 20^th century and ended in 1942 at the death of Louis Cartier. The heirs of Cartier sold the company to groups of investors in 1964. By 1968, Cartier added lighters as one of their products. In 1973, Cartier bounced back as its new managing director of Cartier Paris Alain Dominique Perrin acquired the philosophy of “owning a Cartier is a must” thus unveiling the Les Must de Cartier collection.

The Cartier brand prospered and expanded.  By 1976, Cartier Paris, London and New York were one again under one management.  The legacy of Cartier was fueled once more by the different collections added to the “new” Cartier.

In 2001, Cartier launched the Roadster. A roadster, in automobile lingo, is a two-seater car that is synonymous with race cars. True to the meaning of “roadster” Cartier got the inspiration for the Roadster collection from the USA 1950s and 1960s car racing circuits, especially the Indiana 500.  The Roaster collection is defined by its durability and the interchangeable straps.

The collection has sleek and solid curves that are reminiscent of Cartier’s Tortue model.  The collection closely embodies the seemingly reckless abandonment of the time when Roadsters roamed the streets. However, the nostalgic lines are integrated with modern watch technology making Roadster watches a great combination of strength, beauty, technology and timelessness.  It is a modern and classic watch rolled into one superlative design.  The crown of the watch looks like a radiator.

The Roadster Collection models are simple yet sophisticated in design. The case is steel yet the owner has the option to go for the steel or leather bracelet. The options make the watch a perfect choice for persons who simply need to transform their watches from sporty to dressy and vice-versa.

Most Roadster models have automatic movements. There are models for men and women with sizes varying from small to extra large – 30 mm to 47.6 mm. Price range is from £1200 to £40,000. Iconic Watches has many Roasters on offer at 20% RRP

Maison Cartier was founded in 1847 when the master of Louis-Francois Cartier took over his master’s jewellery workshop in Montorgueil, Paris. Fifty years later Cartier moved its location at 13 rue de la Paix which is its present address. Maison Cartier progressed and eventually spread its “wings” through the labour of Louis-Francois Cartier’s three grandsons namely Jacques, Louis and Pierre. The three brothers travelled all over the world to source for “inspirations”. By the turn of the 20th century, Cartier had opened up a branch in London (1902) and in New York (1909). It was also right about this time that Cartier’s fame as a jeweller became known.

In 1888, Cartier first lady’s wristwatch was created. However, it was not until 1904 that Louis Cartier designed and created the “Santos” wristwatch for his aviator friend Brazilian Santos-Dumont. When Maison Cartier moved to its new (and present) location, Louis Cartier’s fascination with watches led him to design the “mystery clock” (transparent dial), highly innovative and fashionable designs, exotic and Oriental, Art Deco-ish.

In no time at all, Cartier started designing different watch creations. In 1907, Cartier contracted Edmund Jaeger to be its exclusive movement supplier. In 1906, Cartier came out with the Tonneau watch. In 1911 the Santos de Cartier was launched, inspired by the 1904 model. In 1912 the Tortue watch was launched. In 1919, the Tank watch was launched, and in 1926 the Baguette watch was created. In 1957 the Baignoire watch debuted, Panthere watch in 1983, Pasha de Cartier (1985), Tank Francaise in 1996 and the Collection Privee Cartier. This collection is composed of the finest watches of Cartier: Roadster watch (2002), Santos 100 watch (2004) and the Pasha 42 mm (2005).

The Tank Francaise watch has its bracelet integrated into its case. This shows an uninterrupted line with its square stainless steel bezel, a fixed stainless bezel and a flexible steel link bracelet with a clasp. It has a scratch resistant sapphire window protects the white-grained dial. The watch has a Calibre 175 A Swiss-quartz movement.

The Pasha de Cartier watch was initially designed for men because its initial design was with a protective grid much like an army watch. This line of watches is very popular to women. What makes Pasha Watches highly in demand is the fact that they look sporty and very functional without compromising elegance and style.

The Roadster is a very durable model with its interchangeable straps for different “personalities”. You can opt for a leather strap or a metal strap. Dress casual and easy with a metal strap while go for a formal and elegant look with a leather strap. Its latest is a Roadster chronograph.

The Santos 100 is in celebration of 100 years since the conception and creation of the first men’s wristwatch. The new Santos 100 is massive and powerful with a big 47 mm dial. This is an extra large time piece with complications – automatic movement and a chronograph. The Santos 100 is a celebration of the watch’s 100th year of existences (1847 to 2004).

In 1964 the remaining descendants of Louis-Francois, decided to sell Maison Cartier. However the children of the Cartier heirs decided to sell. However this move did not stop Cartier from continuously creating superb timeless pieces.

New products are the flying tourbillion watches are called: Tank Ameicaine and Flying Tourbillon. This line is in 18i karat pink gold with a crown shaped like an octagon. The strap is genuine alligator skin with an adjustable double-fold clasp. The Calibre 9453 MC with Geneva Seal, flying tourbillon was used for this line of watch.

Another new product is a modification of the Baignoire Watch. Clean lines, simple and elegant, this watch is an epitome of what is feminine. The perfect oval-face dial is timeless. This watch comes in 18 karat pink gold and blush-beige canvas strap (brushed) and an ardillon buckle in 18 karat gold too. The mechanical movement is Calibre 430 MC.

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