Cartier Baignoire Watches

Cartier's inception dates back to 1847 when Louis-Francois Cartier took over his master's jewelry shop in Paris. For the first half-century of business, Cartier sold jewelry to royalty, such as to Princess Mathilde and Napoleon's niece. It wasn't until 1904 that Louis Cartier, grandson of Louis-Francois, created the company's first wristwatch for Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont.
Shortly after Cartier began the luxury watchmaking segment, the first Baignoire was born in 1913. This model was strongly inspired by the watch that Louis Cartier had gifted to the Russian Grand Duchess Pavlovna, who might have been an individual client of Cartier in the early 20th Century. Fittingly, for one of the world’s most exclusive jewelers, Cartier Baignoire collection of watches is typically made of gold and precious gems. Although, there are more ‘basic’ versions that may be made simply of an 18k gold case and a simple leather strap.
Cartier’s expertise in designing women’s and men’s watches is unrivaled. Cartier uses the two elements of the brand's aesthetic style – the sublimation of everyday objects and the relentless pursuit of beauty to create a classic and timeless Baignoire watch. The Cartier Baignoire watch is prized for its premium looks all over the world and especially by intellectual ladies. This unique collection of women’s watches perfectly highlights the French elegance which transcends the times. By the end of the 1950s, the original elliptical shape of the Cartier watch was slightly curved, with Roman or Arabic numerals engraved on the dial.
Further, the gold round sculpture added to the aesthetic beauty of the watch. A few years later in the 1960s, Cartier’s designers elongated the oval watch even further, creating the iconic Baignoire Allongée. The elliptical shaped Cartier Baignoire Allongée has become a declaration that expresses individuality. Since then, the Cartier Baignoire and Baignoire Allongée collections have regularly evolved, and have developed a cult-like following among women.
Cartier Baignoire watches have appealed famous personalities like Catherine Deneuve, Romy Schneider, Jeanne Moreau and others who are with cultural connotations and tastes. These figures are renowned for advocating the spirit of freedom.
The impressive Baignoire Allongée is set to scale new heights this year. Cartier is set to redesign the original Roman numerals, adding a silvered sandblasted dial and creating dramatic design elements on the case. Cartier’s designers are utilizing the concept of stepped case style, but instead of using a smooth oval, they have created the gold three-tiered case. The reimagined variant has a bold and modern geometric motif. The result of this carved look, resembling the teeth on a wheel, is visually captivating. These modern and sensual Baignoire Allongée watches are being offered in 18k white, rose and yellow gold in an extra-large size (47mm tall) and a medium-sized variant.
There is a stunning version of Baignoire Allongée, Ref. WJBA0016, which is completely studded with diamonds, for those who want to add sparkle to the mix. This enchanting diamond watch features mechanical movement with manual winding, caliber 1917 MC. To add to its glory, it has an 18K pink gold case and 18K pink gold beaded crown set embellished with brilliant-cut diamonds. This Cartier watch is deemed as the favorite diamond watch of today's watch lovers.
The Cartier Baignoire has been one of the finest wristwatches available for women for a century and its variants can be found in mini, small, and large sizes. Buyers have the liberty to choose from white, yellow, or pink gold. Furthermore, they can choose to add diamonds or do without them. With 12 Roman numerals arranged around the oval dial, the watch exudes simplicity. Finally, Baignoire offers a variety of straps either in leather material or matching gold.
The latest edition of Cartier Baignoire watch is reimagined by the Cartier design studio in a way to blend the contemporary fashion and the vintage aesthetics. The refinement is truly elegant and maintains a balance between minimalistic design and delicate lines. The strap of the watch is made more slender, re-combined Roman numerals are used on the silver matte dial, and the bottom cover is integrated with the case. Cartier boldly draws on the Parisian embossing in the jewelry design, and directly engraves the spiked decoration on the gold bezel to show the beauty and exquisiteness. Also, the watches in this collection are water resistant up to 30 meters, which aligns them to fulfill the modern quality standards. The world has seen fewer, if any, watches that have had the lasting power of the Cartier Baignoire. The Cartier Baignoire watch has become a poster child of a creative theme that continually inspires innovative watch designs and rejuvenates the elegance and vitality.
The Baignoire collection is the best example of luxurious and exclusive timepieces for a century. With its timeless beauty, the Baignoire will no doubt last many more coming century.