The Cartier booth has always been a focal point at the world’s most significant watch fair for annual launches. Cartier was one of the original Vendôme Group brands – later part of Richemont – to exhibit privately at Geneva’s Palexpo Centre alongside Piaget, Baume & Mercier, Gérald Genta, and Daniel Roth.
The showcase launched as the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) in 1991 and was renamed Watches and Wonders in 2020. The exhibition space is now nearly 19 times the size of the original fair. I naturally gravitate towards the Richemont side of the show, traditionally seeking out the long ivory walls, stretching from floor to ceiling, housing beautifully crafted window displays. Inspired by the exceptional craftsmanship behind each creation unveiled at Watches and Wonders, the vitrines drew on the expertise of diverse artisans, presenting every timepiece in its most elevated and expressive form.
This year, the entrance was markedly different. Above visitors, a kinetic ceiling projection rendered the maison’s panther in shifting particles, the form continuously pixelising and reassembling as it moved across the luminous dome.
Against the back wall was a subtle collage of signature shapes, easy to miss unless you paused long enough to absorb the displays. This year’s booth featured four themed, super-elegant, gallery-like spaces, taking visitors into the heart of Cartier’s watchmaking savoir-faire: tailored crafts serving one form; the eye of the jeweller; the manufacture between innovation and tradition; and shaping movement.
From the most understated to the most expressive, Cartier watch shapes require tailored craftsmanship to enhance signature designs.
This year’s releases blend vintage elements with contemporary innovation. The Santos-Dumont watch features a dial in gilded obsidian (volcanic stone from Mexico) with iridescent reflections from trapped air bubbles. The bracelet is made up of 1.15mm links that form the mesh, with 394 elements machined and assembled at the Manufacture.
The Roadster returns this year, 24 years after its launch, with redefined proportions and sharper lines. The design draws inspiration from automotive aesthetics, with an emphasis on ergonomics and streamlined form, achieving a harmonious balance between bezel, case, and crown.
Jewellery savoir-faire is evident in the Baignoire watch, whose Clou de Paris motif has been part of Cartier’s vocabulary since the 1920s. Crafted in monochrome gold, the design emphasises rhythm, volume and continuity. The gemstone model features 100 brilliant-cut, snow-set diamonds on the dial and inverted pavilion diamonds on the case.
Meanwhile, the Myst de Cartier opts for volume and movement, featuring alternating curves, a domed crystal and a pavé dial with geometric elements. The bracelet uses bead setting with stones of varying sizes, requiring 112 hours of gem-setting work. It is designed with an elastic strap to slip easily onto the wrist.
“The new Myst de Cartier watch is all about volume and movement. Its design follows in the footsteps of the jewellery watches created under the direction of Jeanne Toussaint in the early 1930s, pieces that were both sculptural and flamboyant,” says Pierre Rainero, Director of Image, Style, and Heritage.
The Crash Skeleton marks the 10th edition of Cartier Privé. While the design dates back to 1967, this skeletonised model features the Manufacture 1967 MC movement with manual winding and 142 components. Bridges are shaped to form Roman numerals, hammered by hand, and require nearly two hours of work per piece. A patented construction makes the crown appear to drag the movement down, heightening the sense of distortion.
“This approach reflects the spirit of Cartier watchmaking, where technique is at the service of the aesthetic,” says Pierre.
The ever-popular Tortue, now part of a new collection, returns in five variations, including yellow gold, rose gold, white gold, and diamond-set versions. The collection also introduces small and mini models, reflecting renewed interest in smaller watch proportions.
The updated Tortue subtly reworks Cartier’s traditional design codes by replacing the classic guilloché with an embossed dial motif, transforming the railway track into a dotted minute line inspired by a 1922 model, and subtly concealing the maison’s signature within the numeral X.
Meanwhile, the panther motif extends across the dial and case middle of the shaped Tortue Panthère Métiers d’Art Watch, where champlevé enamel creates layered depth between the panther and a curtain of rain. More than 15 enamel tones and 36 firings contributed to the finishing of each piece, along with 130 hours of enamelling and gem-setting. Issued in two limited editions of 100 pieces, the watch is offered in white gold with emerald eyes or yellow gold with tsavorite eyes.
“The Maison des Métiers d’Art is a unique space where tradition, innovation and creativity meet. The Tortue Panthère Métiers d’Art Watch is a dazzling illustration of this and reflects what makes Cartier exceptional, combining watchmaking and jewellery to explore new territories. I am particularly proud of the enamelling, which extends from the dial to the case middle and demonstrates a rare level of skill passionately maintained by our craftsmen at the Maison des Métiers d’Art,” says Karim Drici, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.
Beyond technical refinement and gem-setting virtuosity, Cartier’s strength remains its ability to make watchmaking feel emotional, expressive and instantly recognisable. At Watches and Wonders, the maison once again demonstrated that shape is never merely aesthetic – it is part of an identity, storytelling, and the enduring magnetism of Cartier watchmaking.
