The Cartier “Bathtub” Is The Next Big Style Statement : Baignoire de Cartier featuring Lou Doillon

 

The Cartier Baignoire, a collection created way back in the 1900’s is nothing but the french translation of the word “bathtub” and rightly so. As clearly visible the silhouette of the Baignoire is an oval dial with a rounded oval bezel that is then attached to a bangle.

While this family of Cartier made quite a statement this year at Watches and Wonders with its different size options and variations, this June, the House of Cartier has announced Lou Doillon, an artist with a thousand facets as the face of this collection.

“Cartier has been a part of both my family and me for a long time. To celebrate love and special occasions! For my eighteenth birthday, my mother gave me a Baignoire watch. Cartier, the elegance and chic of the sapphire, the sobriety of the dial, the timelessness of the form.”

- LOU DOILLON

While the Santos, the Crash and the Tank generally steal the limelight, a Baignoire de Cartier on the wrist truly embodies elegance backed by the creativity of the House of Cartier. After the square shape of the Santos watch in 1904 and the bold design of the Tortue in 1906, the Maison created a watch in 1912 with a rectangular case rounded at the ends. The concept continued to evolve until 1958, with a so-called “curved oval” watch, whose slightly curved case fits the contour of the wrist.

For Jeanne Toussaint, creative director from 1933 to 1970, gold was a favoured material. It is particularly malleable, solar, and she explored all the possibilities through figurative or abstract creations. It became a language of enchantment, around miniature dials and precious bracelets. Like the Panthère de Cartier watch, the Baignoire is now a jewellery watch par excellence.

The first appearance of the Baignoire in 1973 was already displaying the volume it is known for with its signature details: a domed crystal, a dial with Roman numerals and a smooth gold ribbon. Since then, the Baignoire watch has remained true to itself, appearing in a number of variations. This iconic watch takes on an infinite number of possible forms, each time resembling only itself. Let’s take a look.

Miniaturised and Amplified

On a miniature case, the bangle, like a gadroon that has been expanded, encircles the delicate dial in gold. Purity of line, precision of form, accuracy of proportion: it is worn as a piece of jewellery and just for the sake of it – simply because it is essential.

One Watch, Two Faces

The first celebrates pure elegance, with a Less is More approach. A watch that asserts itself through the delicacy of its proportions, with the yellow gold shine of its bezel contrasting with a black patent leather strap. More couture, more refined perhaps, this latest expression of its singularity is just as fitting

For the second, the watch’s emblematic oval is transformed into a bangle, a circle of solar gold to be slipped onto the wrist. A new look, a new feel: in rose, yellow or white gold, all paved, it is even more sensual with its curved case placed as close to the wrist as possible. And because it is part of Cartier’s design culture, it can be combined endlessly with other iconic Cartier creations.

“As Cartier was a jeweller before being a watchmaker, a Cartier watch blurs the boundaries between these two founding crafts and makes it possible to capture the best of both. This combination has resulted in the sleek and sophisticated design of the mini Baignoire. The combination of a beaded bracelet with a pure line and a miniature dial without any attributes gives this aesthetic reference to our heritage a sublime touch. The mini Baignoire becomes a piece of jewellery. ”

-MARIE-LAURE CÉRÈDE, CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF JEWELLERY AND WATCHMAKING

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