Cartier Trinity

Though Rolex that has my heart, Cartier is where I started my love affair with watches. The different models and dainty designs always hold a special place in my watch box.

After some time in this hobby, I've found the 3 that are near and dear to me.

Starting off with the Cartier Ellipse. The model is known as the Paris Ellipse 18K from the Paris de Cartier collection. Mine is from the 1990s and purchased in brand new condition. It sits around 25x23mm with sapphire crystal glass with the case, bezel and case back all in 18ct gold.

The white dial has printed roman indices, and the blue Cartier hands. This comes with the caliber ETA 2515, a manual winding movement, finished with the sapphire cabochon crown. The Clasp is the Cartier deployment clasp also in gold.

She's a truly dainty piece that I wear a bit loose on my wrist. She's my Cartier goto for a day to evening classy and relaxed look.

We go on ahead to my grail Cartier, the Cartier Baignoire 1920. I first had dreamed this in the full gold version that looked like a bangle. After trying it on and (let's face it) seeing the price, I had to retreat and regroup. After months on the hunt, I found the perfect one. This is the Baignoire (pronounced bé-nwar as my French speaking husband has taught me multiple times) in 18ct yellow gold. Also from 1993, this sits at a diameter of 22x31mm with acrylic glass and the case, bezel and case back all in 18ct yellow gold.

The white dial has roman printed indices with the Cartier blue sword hands. The unique oval shaped case has the sapphire cabochon crown, all tied in with a maroon leather Cartier strap with the deployant Cartier clasp. This comes with a quartz movement and is a joy to wear. The grail of my Cartiers, and coming in at an affordable price, like new with papers was icing on the cake!

Rounding off this collection is the Cartier Vermeil from around 1995. From the Must de Cartier collection, it has a diameter of 32.5mm with a date at 3. It is gold-plated silver with sapphire glass and the sapphire cabochon crown.

It has a champagne coloured dial, matte finish with printed roman indices and blue Cartier sword hands. It has the calibre 87 quartz movement and the strap is in alligator with the signature Cartier deployant clasp. Compared to the other 2 Cartiers this has a water resistance of 3atm, meaning I can breath easy while washing my hands. 😆

Edit: Adding some personal experience to this. Buying pre-loved (at a trusted shop/boutique/individual/online platform) was the way to go for me woth Cartier. Yes, I found the prices too high for my personal opinion compared to other watches I wanted to add to my collection. In this route, I was able to choose at my own pace, do due diligence and able to get 3 watches for the price of 1 gold Cartier watch from today's catalogue. I also enjoy wearing these watches as they make me feel special. They enhance a side of me that I reserve for weekends, vacations and close friends. I feel these watches are statements, small as they are, but they say classy, chic but with a prescence that can't be ignored (in a positive way). I also love the Clasp from yester years. When it was a pin buckle like everywhere else. I am not saying a pin buckle is bad, I'm just saying, I prefer the deployant clasp on my Cartiers. It brings me back to the days of dressing up and looking sharp, which I love. So having them vintage was also the way to go. Finally, as I've said before, these watches, though like new when I bought each one, had a story. Lived a life before me, and that makes it all the more special. That it's got a second life and I can add another layer to it makes me enjoy them even more.

That's the round or my Cartier Trinity. I've had some questions in the comments about specifications, model names and I've only had time now to get it all together.

Hope this was an interesting read for you as it was for me to write up.

Happy Sunday Crunchers 😎