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Cartier
Founded in Paris in 1847, Cartier is the jeweller that invented the modern wristwatch shape. Tank, Santos, Crash, Baignoire - almost every non-round case in watchmaking traces back to a Cartier drawing. Knockoff Watches Wholesale covers the maison across both watches and high jewellery.
274Stories published
1847Maison founded
6Current collections
Cartier is a French jeweller and watch manufacturer founded in Paris in 1847 by Louis-Francois Cartier and owned by Richemont since 1972. Its defining watch collections are the Tank, Santos de Cartier, Panthere, Ballon Bleu, Baignoire, Pasha, Crash and the Cartier Prive limited series. The Santos, made in 1904 for the aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont, is one of the first purpose-built men's wristwatches, and Cartier is the reference point for shaped - non-round - case design in watchmaking.
CartierFounded 1847ParisRichemontTankSantosPanthereBallon BleuCartier PriveHigh Jewellery
The Collection
Tank Louis Cartier
Shaped dress · rectangular
Cal. 1917 MC
Tank Must / Tank Française
Shaped daily wear
Quartz Cal. 1847 MC
Santos de Cartier
Integrated bracelet · 35-40mm
Cal. 1847 MC
Panthere de Cartier
Jewellery bracelet watch
Quartz
Ballon Bleu
Round · 33-42mm
Cal. 1847 MC
Baignoire
Oval · jewellery
Quartz hand-wound
Latest Cartier Coverage
All 274 Stories ›
News
The Cartier Roadster Is Back: What to Know About the 2026 Revival
All Features
Half of New Auction Bidders Are Digital Natives: Meet the New Collector Class
All Features
The 5 Best Dress Watches of 2026
News
Your Concise Guide to Integrated Bracelet Watches
Events
All of Cartier’s Watches and Wonders 2026 Novelties
News
Jumping Display Watches Are All The Rage: Here’s What You Need to Know
Milestones
1847
Louis-Francois Cartier takes over his master's workshop in Paris.
1904
The Santos is made for Alberto Santos-Dumont - among the first wristwatches designed for a man to use in flight.
1917
The Tank launches, its case inspired by the lines of a Renault tank seen from above.
1967
The Crash appears in London, the most collectible shaped Cartier of all.
Timely FAQs
Is Cartier a real watchmaker or just a jeweller?
Both. Cartier has produced watches since the 1880s, designed the Santos in 1904 and the Tank in 1917, and today makes its own movements including the 1847 MC and the Fine Watchmaking calibres in the Cartier Prive series. Its jewellery heritage is what gives it the case-shape vocabulary no other maison has.
Which Cartier Tank should I buy?
The Tank Louis Cartier is the purest and most classical, in gold on a strap. The Tank Must is the accessible steel entry point, and the Tank Française the sportier integrated-bracelet version. Collectors chase the Cartier Prive Tank editions, which are limited and gone quickly.
What is Cartier Prive?
An annual limited series that revives an archival shaped case - Tank Cintree, Tortue, Crash, Pebble, Tank Asymetrique among them - in small numbers with Fine Watchmaking finishing. It is the collection serious Cartier collectors follow.
Where can I read Cartier reviews from a watch publication?
Knockoff Watches Wholesale has published more than 170 Cartier stories since 2006, spanning Watches and Wonders launches, Cartier Prive releases, boutique openings and high jewellery.