Cartier

Who are Cartier?

Cartier is a French jeweller and watchmaker founded in Paris in 1847 by Louis-François Cartier and owned today by the Swiss luxury group Richemont. It makes jewellery, fragrances and leather goods as well as watches (Richemont), but this page is about its watches: their history, the collections, who owns the company, and what to check when buying a pre-owned Cartier in the UK.

In watches, Cartier is known for shapes rather than complications. The Santos, first made in 1904, and the Tank, in production from 1919, are still in the range, alongside round, oval and jewellery watches (Wikipedia; Goldsmiths). Many Cartier watches use quartz movements and many are mechanical, so the movement type is one of the first things to check in a listing. Richemont reported record sales for the Panthère collection in 2025 (Richemont Annual Report 2026).

The history of Cartier

Cartier’s watch history runs from a Paris jeweller’s workshop in 1847 to one of the largest businesses in the Richemont group. The key dates are the Santos (1904), the Jaeger movement contract (1907), the Tank (1919), the sale of the family businesses after 1964, Richemont’s ownership and Cartier’s own movements from 2010.

A Paris jeweller. Louis-François Cartier founded the firm in Paris in 1847 when he took over the workshop of his master, Adolphe Picard. His son Alfred took over in 1874, and Alfred’s sons, Louis, Pierre and Jacques, turned it into an international business (Wikipedia). Louis ran Paris, moving to the Rue de la Paix in 1899; Pierre opened in New York in 1909; Jacques ran London, eventually from New Bond Street (Wikipedia). King Edward VII granted Cartier a royal warrant in 1904 (Wikipedia).

The first wristwatches. In 1904 the Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont told his friend Louis Cartier that a pocket watch was impractical when flying. Cartier designed a flat wristwatch with a square bezel for him, and the Santos became Cartier’s first men’s wristwatch (Wikipedia). It went on general sale in 1911 (Wikipedia). In 1907 Cartier signed a contract with Edmond Jaeger, who agreed to supply movements exclusively for Cartier watches (Wikipedia).

The Tank. Louis Cartier designed the Tank in 1917, inspired by the tanks in use on the Western Front, and it entered full production in 1919 (Wikipedia, Cartier Tank). In the 1920s Cartier also used movements from Vacheron Constantin, Audemars Piguet, Movado and LeCoultre, and began stamping its own reference numbers under one lug (Wikipedia). In London, Cartier Limited was incorporated on 22 July 1919 and is still active (Companies House).

After the family. Following Pierre Cartier’s death in 1964, the family members heading London, New York and Paris sold the businesses. In 1972 a group led by Robert Hocq and Joseph Kanoui bought Cartier Paris, then bought back London in 1974 and New York in 1976. The houses were combined under Cartier Monde in 1979 (Wikipedia). The Panthère watch followed in 1983 and the Pasha in 1985 (Wikipedia).

Richemont. In 1993 Richemont placed its luxury goods holdings into a new UK-listed company, Vendôme Luxury Group, which brought together Cartier and other houses (Richemont; Wikipedia). In 1998 Richemont bought out Vendôme’s minority shareholders (Richemont). Cartier founded the Institut Horlogerie Cartier in Couvet, Switzerland, in 1992 to train watchmakers and polishers (Richemont).

Recent decades. The Roadster arrived in 2001 and the Ballon Bleu in 2007 (Wikipedia). In 2010 Cartier launched the Calibre de Cartier with the 1904 MC, a movement it made itself (aBlogtoWatch). The Santos was redesigned in 2018 (Europa Star). In 2025 the Victoria and Albert Museum in London held an exhibition of more than 350 Cartier pieces (Richemont), and in 2026 the Roadster returned to the range (Richemont).

What is Cartier known for?

Cartier is known for shaped watches, especially the square Santos and the rectangular Tank, for jewellery watches such as the Panthère, and for design details such as Roman numerals, blued sword hands and a sapphire cabochon on the crown. The details below are each sourced.

Shaped cases. Many of Cartier’s watches are named after their shape. The Tank’s strap is fixed to two vertical sidebars called brancards, and its typical features are a Roman-numeral dial with a “railway track” minute ring, sword-shaped blued steel hands and a crown topped with a sapphire cabochon (Wikipedia, Cartier Tank). The Baignoire, French for bathtub, is an oval case that first appeared in 1958 (Goldsmiths). Our watch sizing guide helps when comparing rectangular and round cases, since the usual diameter figure does not apply.

Quartz and mechanical. Cartier sells both. Goldsmiths lists the Tank Must with quartz movements, including a “High Autonomy” quartz version (Goldsmiths). The 2018 Santos de Cartier uses the automatic calibre 1847 MC (Europa Star). Our guide to mechanical and quartz watches explains how they differ in servicing and use.

Movements. For much of the twentieth century Cartier used movements from outside makers, including Jaeger and LeCoultre (Wikipedia). The 1904 MC of 2010 was described at launch as a Cartier in-house movement, named after the year of the first Santos (aBlogtoWatch). Our guide to in-house and outsourced movements explains why the difference matters to some buyers.

Interchangeable straps. The 2018 Santos introduced QuickSwitch, which lets you swap straps without tools, and SmartLink, which lets you adjust the bracelet length without tools (Europa Star).

Which Cartier collections are there?

Cartier’s current watch range includes the Santos de Cartier and Santos-Dumont, the Tank family, the Panthère de Cartier, the Ballon Bleu, the Pasha, the Baignoire, the Tortue and the Roadster, which returned in 2026. The collections table gives a one-line description of each.

A few points help when you are reading listings:

• Many Tanks. “Tank” covers several different watches: Wikipedia lists the Tank Louis Cartier (1922), Tank Américaine (1989) and Tank Française (1996) among others, and the Tank Must is listed with quartz movements (Wikipedia; Goldsmiths). Check exactly which Tank you are looking at.
• Sizes. Cartier usually describes size as small, medium or large model rather than in millimetres. A Goldsmiths listing, for example, describes a “Santos de Cartier watch, large model” (Goldsmiths). Ask for the case measurements.
• Reference numbers. Current Cartier references are letter-and-number codes, such as WSSA0096 for a Santos de Cartier and WSTA0105 for a Tank Française (Pragnell). Older watches often have a four-digit code stamped under a lug (Wikipedia).

Who owns Cartier?

Cartier is owned by Compagnie Financière Richemont SA, a Swiss luxury goods group listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. Richemont reports Cartier as one of its four Jewellery Maisons, with Buccellati, Van Cleef & Arpels and Vhernier. Cartier’s chief executive is Louis Ferla.

Richemont was founded by Johann Rupert in 1988 through the spin-off of the international assets of South Africa’s Rembrandt Group, which included luxury goods investments (Richemont). Cartier had been reunited under Cartier Monde in 1979 (Wikipedia). In 1993 Richemont created Vendôme Luxury Group to hold its luxury businesses, Cartier among them, and in 1998 it bought out Vendôme’s minority shareholders (Richemont; Wikipedia).

Richemont’s A shares are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and included in the Swiss Market Index, with a secondary listing in Johannesburg (Richemont). Richemont reports its results by business area, with Cartier inside Jewellery Maisons, alongside other Richemont watchmakers such as IWC Schaffhausen, Piaget and Vacheron Constantin (Richemont Annual Report 2026). Richemont also owns Watchfinder & Co., a pre-owned watch specialist founded in London in 2002 and bought by the group in 2018 (Richemont).

Buying a pre-owned Cartier in the UK: what to check

Check that the serial number on the caseback matches the warranty card, whether the movement is quartz or mechanical, and that the watch is not recorded as stolen. Then decide what guarantee you need: Cartier’s own warranty and Cartier Care apply to registered watches, and Watchfinder sells Cartier watches under an official pre-owned warranty.

1. Papers and the full set. A new Cartier comes with a warranty card carrying a QR code that the owner can use to register for Cartier Care (Pragnell). Ask which papers come with the watch and whether they are originals. Our guide to what “full set” means explains what each item proves.

2. Serial and reference numbers. Check that the serial and reference numbers on the watch match the card and receipt. Cartier Care registration also uses the serial number (Pragnell), and Cartier excludes watches with altered or unreadable serial numbers from its complimentary services (Pragnell).

3. Authenticity. The Tank is one of the most copied wristwatches (Wikipedia, Cartier Tank), and fakes can come with forged papers. Buy from a seller who will put authenticity in writing and accept returns, and have the watch inspected by a watchmaker you choose. Our guide on how to spot a fake watch covers what a watchmaker looks at.

4. Stolen-watch check. Before you pay, check the serial number against a stolen-watch register and ask the seller to confirm the watch is not reported lost or stolen. Our stolen-watch check guide lists the UK registers.

5. Warranty and Cartier Care. Cartier’s international warranty covers watches for two years, and registering a watch with Cartier Care extends it to up to eight years in total. Registered watches can also get complimentary services such as water-resistance checks, battery replacements and, at Cartier’s discretion, complete servicing (Pragnell). Whether a second owner can register a watch that is still under warranty depends on Cartier’s terms. See watch warranties explained.

6. Servicing. Cartier’s complimentary services exclude watches serviced by anyone other than Cartier-authorised entities or fitted with non-genuine parts (Pragnell). Ask who last serviced the watch, and for quartz models when the battery was last changed.

7. Who you buy from. There are three main routes:

Sources: Richemont, Annual Report and Accounts 2026; Richemont, Watchfinder & Co. (checked 29 October 2026).

Richemont’s 2026 annual report describes Watchfinder’s manufacturer-certified pre-owned partnerships with Cartier and Vacheron Constantin (Richemont Annual Report 2026). Watchfinder has a boutique at the Royal Exchange in London (Richemont Annual Report 2026). The length of the Cartier pre-owned warranty is not stated in the sources we could reach. For how independent dealers compare with appointed retailers, read grey market versus authorised dealer.

For the full process from setting a budget to collecting the watch, see the guide to buying a luxury watch.

Frequently asked questions

Is Cartier a watchmaker or a jeweller?

Both. Cartier was founded as a jeweller in Paris in 1847, and its product lines today include high jewellery, jewellery and watchmaking (Richemont).

Who owns Cartier?

Richemont, the Swiss luxury group listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. Cartier is one of its Jewellery Maisons (Richemont).

What was Cartier’s first wristwatch for men?

The Santos, designed by Louis Cartier in 1904 for the aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont (Wikipedia).

When was the Cartier Tank introduced?

Louis Cartier designed it in 1917, and it entered full production in 1919 (Wikipedia, Cartier Tank).

Are Cartier watches quartz or mechanical?

Both. The Tank Must is sold with quartz movements, for example, while the 2018 Santos de Cartier uses the automatic calibre 1847 MC (Goldsmiths; Europa Star).

Does Cartier make its own movements?

Some. Its 2010 Calibre de Cartier used the 1904 MC, described as a Cartier in-house movement (aBlogtoWatch). Historically, Cartier used movements from makers including Jaeger and LeCoultre (Wikipedia).

How long is the Cartier warranty?

Two years, or up to eight years in total if the watch is registered with Cartier Care (Pragnell).

Does Cartier have a UK company?

Yes. Cartier Limited was incorporated in London on 22 July 1919 and is registered on New Bond Street (Companies House).

Where can I buy a certified pre-owned Cartier?

Richemont reports a manufacturer-certified pre-owned partnership between Cartier and Watchfinder & Co., which is also Richemont-owned (Richemont Annual Report 2026).

This page is general information. Watch60 is independent and has no commercial relationship with Cartier or Richemont.

We check the facts on this page against the sources listed, and it is correct to the best of our knowledge as of October 2026. Brands change their warranty, servicing and sales terms, so confirm them with the brand or the seller before you buy.