![]() ![]() This is the vintage technique that La Maison used for the special Rotonde de Cartier in 2008. ![]() The facility includes workshops for crafts like filigree, marquetry, enamel, gem setting, and granulation. This is where Cartier’s high-jewelry watches are created. Here, Cartier’s artists can work quietly (well, as long as there are not too many journalists like me bothering them). The result is a unique, almost historical studio that was completed in 2011. A lot of the restoration work was done with vintage wood and stones from the area to help maintain the original style. The inside, however, was completely rebuilt to make way for stable floors for the departments, the elevator, and the various workspaces. The building dates back to 1740, and though its facade has been carefully restored, it looks identical to how it did originally. So much, you might say, that it caused La Maison to buy a farmhouse a stone’s throw from the manufacture to create an exclusive home for this highly creative department. There was great interest in this Rotonde de Cartier at the presentation. ![]() But in fact, Cartier was already working with artists to realize clocks and watches using these techniques as far back as the 1930s. For many of us, including me, this was pretty new. Métiers d’Art was launched commercially in 2008 when La Maison presented a Rotonde de Cartier model with a granulated dial at the SIHH in Geneva. Also, I’ll explore what it could mean for you in realizing your ultimate Tank, Santos, or other Cartier timepiece. In this article, I’ll try to explain what I learned and saw during my visit to the Métiers d’Art ateliers at Cartier’s manufacture. That’s why we now go a little deeper into the technique of Métiers d’Art. Of course, 100% exclusivity is something that is impossible to ask for, especially when we consider that most Special Order watches are only distinguished through a different color dial, another color of gold for the case, and/or a different type of hands. But some sincerely wondered whether the exclusivity of such a watch could be guaranteed. For many collectors, the available possibilities are more than enough to create a custom timepiece that they would really like to have. In my previous article, How Cartier Turns Custom Watch Dreams Into Reality, I detailed the process of ordering a “Special Order” Cartier timepiece. ![]()
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