When you think of the most recognisable and iconic Cartier watches, most of them tend to be time-tested designs from decades ago. The rectangular Tank, first conceived in 1917; the Santos, invented in 1904 for the swanky aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont; the square Panthère introduced in 1983. So it might surprise you to know that the Ballon Bleu de Cartier collection, one of the French house’s most successful, is relatively adolescent compared to her siblings. Created only in 2007, this range can be said, in a way, to be the brand’s most contemporary collection of watches.
The Ballon Bleu watches benefit, naturally, from a style of watchmaking that’s been established for decades at the maison. Some of its signature details are common to Cartier watches: blued steel hands, Roman numerals, a sapphire cabochon set into the crown. But what the Ballon Bleu brought to the table was a sense of differentiation thanks to its round case shape.
That may sound counterintuitive, considering that a majority of watch designs use a round case. But remember: the most famous watch icons at Cartier are either square—the Santos, Santos-Dumont and Panthère—or rectangular, in the case of the Tank.
Because it is Cartier, which prides itself on design and beauty, the brand did not settle for a simple circle when it created the Ballon Bleu. Its greatest point of difference is the sapphire- or spinel-set winding crown, which is nestled inside a ‘hoop’ that juts out ever so subtly and disrupts the traditionally circular line of the case. Far more subtle is the detail that the watch gets its name from: a front and back that are both subtly curved and domed to create the effect of a balloon being inflated.
The most classic of Ballon Bleu de Cartier watches come in silvered opaline dials with black Roman numerals and contrasting brushed and guilloché finish. The house introduced a stainless steel version with a 33mm case in 2013 that hits the sweet spot of an accessible material and an almost universally flattering size. Since then, it’s been building on the collection—most recently with the launch of coloured dial versions of the watch.
The latest to come out of the French maison tap into an extremely au courant fever for coloured dials. Shades of blue and green have appeared in a wide swathe of watches for the past few years—and are still going strong, mind you—but the colour du jour to know today is pink. Chalk it down to Barbie fever, or even the coquette trend, but pink is no doubt a statement colour that looks set to continue into the year.
For Cartier, at least, that means a vivid pastel shade paired with silvered numerals. There are technically already Ballon Bleu watches with pink dials, but the latest ones swap out the alternating brushed and guilloché textures for a singular sunray effect dial. It’s one of the brand’s newer applications of colour to the Ballon Bleu collection that enhances the statement and makes for a bolder look.
