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!!Brand Overview
----
Cartier, a luxury jewelry and [watch|Watches] brand, was founded by
Louis-Francois Cartier in 1847. Among the major Cartier's
contributions into the history of timekeeping became the invention of
the first wristwatch the deployment folding clasp. The present-day
Cartier watches are based upon the heritage of ideas, patents and
designs left by the Company's founder.
<br><br>

!!Brand History
----
[Upload:lavrov/6b84040dd2a5a636cd49fdab8e9c351c_tn.jpg align=right
hspace=5 vspace=5 pop=yes]The history of the Cartier brand started in
1847 when *Louis-Francois Cartier*, at the age of 28, founded his
jewelry business in Paris, having taken over the great experience of
the master watchmaker, *Adolphe Picard*. Cartier, soon appreciated as
one of the best French jewelers, managed to become the supplier to the
royal court. Cartier's first workshop fulfilling the private
customers’ orders appeared in 1853, followed by the opening of the
first shop six years later - in 1859.

In 1874, the son of Cartier's founder, *Alfred Cartier*, became his
father's successor and took over the company. He was determined to
expand the business, and get involved into watchmaking, in
particular. The Alfred's initiative was supported by his son, named
Louis after his grandfather. Louis, being a gifted goldsmith and
businessman, joined the business in 1899. He was greatly interested
in mechanical pocket watches and wanted to concentrate upon
developing watchmaking innovations.

Louis Cartier's genius brought the Company universal fame. He managed
the Cartier office in Paris and was successful in expanding the
business internationally in rather a short period of time, having
opened a branch in London in 1902 and a branch in New York in 1909.

Louis Cartier gave birth to the distinctive style of Cartier jewelry
and watch pieces. Cartier innovative yet classic style has mixed
well-established traditions with the latest novelties and not only
influenced but created the jewelry and watchmaking fashion trends.
One of the prominent examples of Louis Cartier's innovative ideas is
the union of diamonds and platinum - over time Cartier platinum
timepieces embellished by diamonds entered the list of most
highly-demanded and appreciated Cartier's jewelry pieces.

The year 1904 marked the highlight in the history of the *Cartier
House*. Louis Cartier invented a wristwatch for a Brazilian aviator
and his close friend, *Alberto Santos Dumont*, who left the priceless
legacy to the aviation field. The Santos Dumont's watch was meant to
be worn at a leather band, featuring a small buckle. Louis Cartier
realized his friend's dream - to have a timekeeping device that would
offer comfortable timekeeping during flights. Having a distinctive
square bezel, the timepiece won the hearts of numerous Cartier
clients and consequently initiated a famous Cartier watch line -
"Santos". Santos watches are still in production today.

In 1912 the thorough research undertaken by Louis Cartier resulted in
the development of renowned Cartier mysterious clocks. These clocks
were distinguished due to hands that gave the impression of floating
as they showed no link to the movement.

The following period marked the appearance of new Cartier watch
models popular till nowadays - these were the 1912 Baignoire and
Tortue models and the Tank which debuted in 1917. The house
introduced ladies' watches embellished with original panther or
leopard spots. _Cartier Pasha_, developed to fulfill the order of the
_Pasha of Marrakech_ entered the world of watchmaking in 1932. The
watch's peculiarity lay in its water-resistance - water resistant
timepieces were rarely developed in those days.

In the 1920s Cartier and *Edmond Jaeger* signed a promising contract.
Cartier's new partner was commissioned to supply high quality
movements for Cartier timepieces. Meanwhile, Cartier continued to
equip its timepieces with reliable movements produced by other great
makers. In the same period of time Cartier started to add its own
reference numbers to the watches - the underside of a watch's lug was
stamped with a four-digit code. Today the presence of these numbers is
one of the reliable ways for Cartier collectors to distinguish
authentic Cartier watches.

In 1942 Louis Cartier passed away. His successors did not manage to
maintain the same financial and artistic level and the company faced
the period of stagnation till 1972. Then, the Cartier Company gained
the support provided by a group of investors and Alain Perrin took
the position of Cartier's CEO. Mr. Perrin, who used to work as an
antique dealer, gave the company a new start. The brand has
reestablished its prestigious reputation among most innovative and
fashionable watch producers.

The year 1977 witnessed the introduction of _Tank Must de Cartier_,
the first vermeil watch with a contemporary-styled dial powered by a
mechanical movement. The following year classic Cartier watch - the
Santos - acquired a new distinctive design - an unforeseen
combination of steel and gold later inherited by a great deal of
other Cartier creations. The brand's designers came up with one more
major peculiarity - they did not hide the screws on the bezel and
strap of the innovative Santos watch.

In 1985 Cartier designers took once again a wise step - they gave a
new birth to the 19th century Pasha watch and there appeared a
timepiece with round-shaped 18 carat gold case, double retractable
protection crown, giving the advantage of water-resistance to 100
meters.

The year 1989 was marked by the creation of a new Cartier watch model
based upon the Tank line. It was named the _Tank Americaine_.

In 1995 there was introduced one more successful Cartier timepiece -
_Pasha C_, a sporty-styled watch with a massive case to be worn on
any occasion. The following year saw the appearance of the timepiece
which became a recognized classic in the area of luxury watches - the
_Tank Francaise_.

In 1998 Cartier watchmakers developed the *_Collection Privee Cartier
Paris_*, reflecting time-honored traditions and innovative technical
and aesthetic art.

In 2001 Cartier marked the turn of the century by launching an
automobile-inspired timepiece - the Roadster. The year 2004 brought
the 100th anniversary of the legendary Santos de Cartier. To
celebrate the occasion, Cartier produced three new watch models -
_Santos 100_, _Santos-Dumont_ and _Santos Demoiselle_.
<br><br>

!!Recent Collections
----
The most recent watch collections developed by the House of Cartier
reflect the rich heritage left by the brand's founder and his
grandson.  Cartier still produces its famous watch lines that were
introduced during the initial stages of the brand's history, having
subjected them to changes dictated by the innovative spirit and
technical improvements.

Among the most highly-demanded Cartier watch lines there are *_Tank,
Santos, Tank Francaise, Pasha, Roadster_* watch models developed in
numerous variations. Cartier watches, powered by high-horology-realm
movements, are characterized by meticulously handcrafted cases and
bracelets available in a variety of styles.

!!See also
----
* [TAG Heuer]
* [Audemars Piguet]
* [Vacheron Constantin]
* [Omega]
* [Rolex]
* [Patek Philippe]<br>

!!External Links
----
[Cartier Official Website |
http://www.cartier.com/en_eu/Cartier]<br>
[The Story of Cartier Family Business |
http://www.euro-replica.com/cartier_luxury-p.html]<br>

!!Category
----
CategoryBrandProfile