The Panthère, one of the really early themes in the Cartier collections, was the brilliant idea of Jeanne Toussaint. Jeanne was named ‘Director of jewellery’ at Cartier in 1933 and she decided shortly after her promotion, to make the Panthère a theme in the jewellery collection.
From an onyx Panthère to a powder compact to a cigarette case adorned with black and gold stripes, Jeanne made the Panthère fashionable through a stream of personal accessories.

As thé important designer of la Maison, Jeanne had her own salon at Cartier, a private room on the first floor of the Rue de la Paix Boutique, where she worked as an advisor, to the elegant elite. Her room is still in tact, at the Cartier mansions.

As a normal procedure within Cartier, theme’s come, fade away and come back. A procedure that made the Cartier collection so strong, throughout the years.

Years later, we’re talking late seventies now, when Alain Dominique Perrin was responsible for the marketing and launch of a new Panthère collection of jewellery, watches and cufflinks, real Panthers were used during the promotion campaign of the Panthère watch. And in 1983, Mr Perrin was even seen walking around with a real Panther during the ‘Panthère de Cartier’ perfume launch, in Paris in 1987.

The Panthère watch (on the right) that resembled much of an Santos Dumont (on the left), was soon after the launch adopted by pop artists as Keith Richard, Tina Turner and more recent, actor Pierce Brosnan,

American television personality and fashion designer Kourtney Kardashian and actress Naomi Watts.
Such ambassadors helped the watch to become immense popular, especially among the more
fashion oriented people.

This elegant quartz time piece, with its matching ‘wrap around’ cufflinks is since years not available
anymore, but what would it be cool if the Panthère watch would come back, one day, in a larger case,
with mechanical movement and of course with that great timeless bracelet.

But the Panthère moves on and new in the current collection is a stunning watch for ladies; the Panthère Divine de Cartier watch.
The round case in 18-carat rhodium-plated white gold and almost invisible lugs, is set with brilliant-cut diamonds, while the Panthère is in 18-carat rhodium-plated white gold set with brilliant-cut diamonds, enamelled spots and the dial in black brass with barley-corn guilloché motif. The hands are rhodium-plated steel and the strap black brushed calfskin.
The double adjustable folding buckle, like most watches in the collection have these days, is in 18-carat rhodium-plated white gold set with brilliant-cut diamonds.

A watch that stole my hearth, is one of the most feminine watches, I have ever seen; the ‘Baguette Panthère watch’. The panther that looks like if it’s climbing along the bracelet is set with brilliant-cut diamonds, eyes set with emeralds and an onyx nose
The case and bracelet in 18-carat rhodium-plated white gold, set with brilliant-cut diamonds and baguette-cut diamonds.
Translucent, lacquered and silvered dial with sunray effect and sword-shaped hands in rhodium plated steel and……. quite amazing for such a small watch, a mechanical, manual wind movement, with a winding crown on the back of the watch. Calibre 101.

With Cartier nobody knows, how collections evolve. Fact is that the Panthère, as a theme, is slowly gaining more ground again in the Cartier collection. What was not available since years, the Panther head cufflinks, now came finally back in various styles and price ranges.

From the pricy yellow gold, bold and stunning Panther heads, to the amazing diamond
set Panther heads in white gold.

And from the more affordable, silver Panther heads that were released in 2012, to the soon to be launched Black Ceramic Panther heads, that will make such a perfect match with the Santos Skelette in ADLC. These last two models are both limited and will probably not last long in the collection.

The Panthère Collection has items for both, men and women and it is cool to see that Cartier is focussing more and more on the men’s collections too.
Especially the cufflink collection is expanding very nicely with affordable- and with high end models.
And I am sure this is not the end.

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