In 1847 Louis-Francois Cartier founded Cartier in Paris, France. He quickly established himself within the aristocracy of society. In 1903 he created their first men's wristwatch, inspired by his pilot friend Alberto Santos-Dumont, who called it the Santos. In 1907 Cartier began a partnership with Edmond Jaeger of the pre-eminent watch brand Jaeger-LeCoultre. Jaeger agreed to become the exclusive supplier of watch movements for Cartier. In 1917 they debuted the Tank. Their watches were so popular that copies soon appeared to counteract this. Cartier introduced reference numbers to each watch.

In 1919 they introduced the Tank which was inspired by the robust American tank used in the first world war. It has been famously worn by many over the years including Andy Warhol, Alain Delon, Clarke Gable, Catherine Deneuve and Duke Ellington.

The early watches were all handmade in France, with movements by Jaeger.

In 1972, a group of investors led by financial wizard Joseph Kanoui bought the company. During 1973 we saw the first “Must de Cartier” boutique opened in Biarritz, followed by one in Singapore.

The watch comes fully serviced by our on-site workshop and with our 12 months, non-waterproof service cover.

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