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Cartier’s Panthère de Cartier collection is one of the brand’s most iconic and recognisable designs. The collection is the epitome of elegance, power and timeless sophistication. Cartier first introduced the Panthère de Cartier collection in 1983, but the motif of the panther had been used for decades prior to that. In fact, Cartier first used the panther on their timepieces in 1914, where a Cartier watch with an onyx and diamond panther bracelet.

Inspired by Jeanne Toussaint, Cartier’s legendary creative director in the 1930s, the Panthère has come to represent the maison’s daring approach to watchmaking and jewelry craftsmanship, becoming a symbol of luxury and style for the brand. The panther’s graceful and fluid strides have inspired the Panthère de Cartier collection, most notably the bracelet, which is designed to sit elegantly on the wrist, seamlessly flowing with the wrist’s contours.

Cartier presents the Panthère de Cartier collection in a variety of materials, with the current collection having steel, two-tone yellow gold, two-tone rose gold, along with full yellow gold and full rose gold materials. The maison also offers the timepiece in various sizes. As this collection is aimed at both males and females, the different sizes, which include mini model, small, medium and large caters for a variety of wrist sizes, ensuring that no one who appreciates these timepieces is left out.

Related Reading: Hands On Review Of The Cartier Panthère de Cartier

Over the decades, Cartier has continuously reimagined the Panthère de Cartier, pushing the boundaries of design while maintaining the collection’s signature elegance. The maison has introduced a variety of bold and innovative interpretations, including lacquered dials that add depth and vibrancy, skeletonized versions that showcase the intricate craftsmanship of the movement, and high-jewelry renditions adorned with dazzling diamonds and precious gemstones. These luxurious timepieces highlight Cartier’s ability to blend watchmaking expertise with artistic expression, transforming the Panthère into more than just a timepiece; it becomes a wearable piece of art!

This leads to this year’s newest additions to the Panthère de Cartier collection. Wearable pieces of art don’t even begin to describe one of the timepeices being unveiled. Cartier reimagines the Panthère de Cartier through several creative and precious interpretations, which include a model with an abstract coat, neither entirely zebra nor entirely tiger, and bracelets sprinkled with a subtle shower of diamonds.

A total of five new timepieces are being introduced into the existing Panthère de Cartier collection, each bringing a fresh take on the brand’s signature elegance. All of these models are high-jewelry pieces, featuring fully paved bracelets, while four of them have semi-paved cases with only the bezel set with brilliant-cut diamonds. These watches are designed to stand out, combining classic Cartier styling with a touch of modern luxury. With their refined details and dazzling finishes, they showcase the brand’s expertise in creating stylish and sophisticated timepieces.

Case Design

All five models retain the signature Panthère de Cartier case design, however, the brand has released various sizes for each of the five models. One model, however, stands above them all for its intricately weaved diamonds and spessartites, a first for the collection.

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“Between the zebra and tiger motifs, the Panthère watch opts for both. This is the vision of Cartier Magicien: to imagine a creative and jewelled transformation, a graphic composition adorned, from dial to bracelet, with animal motifs. Colours, contrasts, materials — Cartier dares to embrace abundance and vibrant, sunlit colour combinations. Black and golden-brown lacquer, pavé diamonds, orange and yellow spessartites, the watch is abundant and vibrant.“
Cartier on the new Zebra/Tiger inspired Panthère de Cartier watch.

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This intricate display of zebra/tiger stripes starts from the bracelet and continues onto the case and bezel through the dial, having one continuous look that is incredibly beautiful. The 36.5mm x 26.7mm case features brilliant-cut diamonds along with red and yellow spessartites. In between the gemstones and the diamonds is black lacquer, which mimics zebra and tiger stripes but, more importantly, allows the precious stones to stand out beautifully from each other.

The other four models feature either yellow gold (750/1000) or rose gold (750/1000) cases. Cartier is offering the four models in four different sizes: 36.5mm x 26.7mm in yellow gold, 30.3mm x 22mm in yellow gold, 30.3mm x 22mm in rose gold, and a 25mm x 20mm case in rose gold. This variety, of course, ensures that it caters to a broader audience. Unlike the full gemset model, these timepeices are only semi-paved, where the bezel is the only part that is set with brilliant-cut diamonds.

Dial Design

The abstract coat of the Zebra/Tiger inspired Panthère de Cartier has a beautifully designed dial in which the “stripes” flow on beautifully from the bracelet to the case and onto the dial. The dial is adorned with brilliant-cut diamonds only, with black lacquer between the abstract coating to highlight the diamonds and the 750/100 rose gold. The hands are done in rose gold as well, which might make it hard to read the time instantly as it blends in with the background. However, this watch was made to be a work of art, so subduing the time indications to allow the dial to stand out is perfectly understandable.

The other four models follow the signature Panthère de Cartier dial design, which features Roman hour indices with square minute tracks and blued sword-shaped hands. All four models have this design layout except for the smallest one in this new collection, which removes the minute track to keep the hour indices and hands.

Bracelet Design

The bracelet of the abstract coat Panthère de Cartier is a stunning display of high jewellery. The brilliant-cut diamonds and spessartites flow elegantly from the case to present a diagonal “striped” pattern. Cartier states that “Entirely paved with 314 brilliant-cut diamonds and 86 spessartites, the emblematic bracelet of the Panthère watch unfurls its links like a myriad of jewelled gradations all polished and set one by one. A jewel of a watch that took over 110 hours to make.”

The bracelet of the standard Panthère de Cartier features a five-link design, which has now been showered with brilliant-cut diamonds on each link. In the brand’s current collection there is currently only a mini model in rose gold that features a full-bracelet with brilliant-cut diamonds, so these new additions certainly offer something new!

Initial Thoughts

With design references taken from Cartier’s Leopard-inspired Panthère de Cartier (ref. HPI01721), the maison has now introduced another captivating timepiece, this time drawing inspiration from two more majestic creatures of the wild. In my view, this latest creation is the most impressive yet, with its intricate gem setting forming a mesmerizing blend of zebra and tiger patterns. Flowing seamlessly from bracelet to dial, the abstract design exudes elegance and sophistication, perfectly showcasing Cartier’s mastery in high-jewellery watchmaking.

Complementing this release are four additional Panthère de Cartier references, each adorned with diamonds and available in two precious metals. Offered in a range of case sizes, these timepieces ensure that Cartier’s signature luxury and artistry cater to a diverse audience.