This week, we teamed up with Cartier to showcase the Maison’s watchmaking and craftsmanship over a couple of nights to a lucky handful of watch lovers and collectors.
Cartier is perhaps one of the best-known watch brands in the world, and rightfully so. Their pieces are timeless and classic, with a style to suit all tastes. You can not watch a red carpet event without seeing an A-list celebrity wearing Cartier. Celebrity style aside, Cartier has a rich history of watchmaking, and most notable, (which we have covered here), is the advent of the world’s first wristwatch and pilots watch in the form of the Cartier Santos.
Last year, we held a similar event at the Cartier Boutique in Brisbane, showcasing the 2023 Watches & Wonders novelties, and for those lucky enough to get an invite, thoroughly enjoyed the night. As a result, we were not short of requests when it came to this year’s event, focusing on the watchmaking of Cartier, and to say all enjoyed themselves would be an understatement!
Guests were greeted in style with Canapés and Champagne, old friends catching up and new friends getting to know each other, all with one thing in common – watches!
To kick off each night, all were welcomed by Nicola Ashworth, Cartier Watches Australian Marketing Manager, Chantal Pankov, Cartier’s Brisbane Boutique Manager and Chamath Gamage, Watch Advice Founder.
But, it didn’t take long for people to get straight into checking out the watches on show, with the guests getting right in at the start and trying on a range of pieces on display before the formalities started.
What makes this type of event unique is the intimacy. The ability to sit down almost one-on-one with those who know the brand best, and can tell the stories behind the watches. While larger events are great, don’t get us wrong, but only having a small group of watch enthusiasts who can see, play with, and try on all the pieces and take their time with them allows people to connect with the watches. What is amazing to see is the look on people’s faces and the way they light up when they try on a piece they may not have considered or been on their radar at all!
On show were some incredible pieces. Some of these you’re able to buy in the current Cartier catalogue, but some of the pieces were very special, with only one of two pieces available in the country, and like all exclusive pieces, will go to a deserving client.
Of course, there were quite a few Cartier watches on display on people’s wrists, with the guests proudly wearing their personal pieces. Watch events are always great watch-spotting opportunities, and when it comes to Cartier, people show this love perhaps more than any other brand!
Cartier are known for their watch shapes, and across the collection, you can see this come to life with the variety of models, from Santos, to Pasha, to Baignoire to Cloche and Tortue. However, the also do some amazing high-watchmaking with the like of the Pasha de Cartier in Rose Gold, diamond set bezel and tourbillon with the Cartier logo embedded, or the Rélévation d’une Panthère which uses gold beads to release the Panther’s head within the dial of the watch.
In addition to the great timepieces on show, it wouldn’t be a Cartier event without some of the jewellery, both high jewellery with the likes of Panthère and lifestyle pieces, such as the bracelets you can pair and stack with each other, or if you’re inclined, the watches!
Over the two nights, all guests saw some amazing pieces, many of which were available just for our event, so we feel lucky and privileged to partner with Cartier and the Cartier Australian team to make this happen and to allow some members of our watch community to be able to see these pieces. We look forward to doing it all again in 2025!
