Any love for Cartier out there?

Interesting thing about Cartier, in their case it’s not sure it should be really called «neo vintage »,
because they never stopped making the same 1920s designs, while letting them evolve. It’s very much like JLC with Reverso.

Very true.
Which i think is part of their appeal.

I have a roadster and I wanted a Santos for a while. Now I would pick up a Drive de Cartier. Basic but beautiful.



Photo from cartier:



pic courtesy of luxurytimenyc:

Personally like your Roadster best.

Another Cartier Santos Carree to add to this thread. This is the 2961 with a gray "ghost" dial. In contrast to the models with white dial and roman numerals, these have a vertically brushed bezel instead of a polished bezel.

Hi there,
I am very much into the aesthetics of Vintage Cartier Tanks... I discovered lately the Cartier Tank Arrondie. Have you ever seen dial variations with and without "chemin de fer"? ... and apparently the secret signature at 7 or 10 does not depend on the size of the Cartier. Both models are GM, i.e. grand modèle, 23x30. I always thought that the PM (petit modèle, 21x28) has the secret signature at 10 and the GM (grand modèle, 23x30) at 7...
Cheers,
Giovanni

Definitely my wife’s favourite watch (per her own opinion) 👍

The Cartier Louis, is it the 78086 model?

No the 78086 came out in the 70s this tank is from 1968.

The Caree is nice. But I really think I'd prefer the Galbee

I was at my local pawnshop and the second in charge who dealt with me was wearing a ballon bleu. They should stick with being conservative is my opinion

Really love seeing this model getting some well-deserved appreciation - it’s got that perfect mix of character and elegance. The 38mm from the late '90s definitely hits a sweet spot in terms of size and proportion. The tritium adds just enough vintage charm without trying too hard.


Funny enough, I recently picked up a Cartier for my wife too - not the exact same model, but a vintage piece she had casually mentioned years ago. I ended up buying it duty-free at Heathrow, and honestly, it saved me a good bit versus retail. I wasn’t even planning to shop that day, but I wandered into one of the Heathrow shops during a long layover and saw it just sitting there - classic impulse-meets-fate moment 😄


She was over the moon with it, and now it’s easily her most worn watch. I’ve noticed the same trend you mentioned - Cartier is definitely seeing a resurgence, especially among collectors who value timeless design over flash. And models like the Pasha or the older Tanks are still relatively affordable compared to some of the overhyped sports watches.


It’ll be interesting to see how prices shift over the next couple of years. Right now might be the best time to grab something special before the market catches up.

Resurrecting this thread to post a Cartier watch which is yet another watch purchase opportunity I missed… some years ago I walked into a vintage watch shop in Paris and instantly fell in love with an unusual Cartier watch they were selling.
It was platinum with a guilloche dial and unusual red numerals - but it cost 11000 euros which was far beyond any watch budget I would ever consider. I did not save all of the pictures but was stunned to see the same watch resurface on the Instagram account of the lady collector Old Watch Lady, probably the same example as there cannot be too many around.
(See below first four pictures)

Having been quite busy in the past couple years and more inclined to wear one quartz watch every day, I’m once again thinking about selling vintage watches to finance a Cartier, and went to a department store yesterday to try the size of various steel tank models on my wrist. As a matter of fact I was eyeing the same model worn by @Ludi ’s wife above in the thread.

It was about 40 celsius outside and it must have been a quiet day in the store despite the aircon. When the attendant heard my story about the platinum Cartier that got away, and realized my watch geekery, she went to pull a couple more models out of the drawers. They are far more expensive than the steel tanks or the 11000 euros I told her were out of range, so she must have known I would never imagine a purchase.