Finer things in life



    CARTIER THE COURTIER


Cartier has been in existence for more than a century  and it is a globally renowned luxury  brand. But it has never really stood out or perhaps its just a matter of it  always having been subtle and discreet. You seldom hear hip hop artists name drop Cartier on the their songs. Almost all of them religiously cling to Rolex or Hublot. Founded in 1847 in Paris, it was headed by Louis-Francois Cartier. Francois’s  son Alfred and grandsons Louis, Pieree and Jacques held the reins at Cartier and were determined on building an empire. When Cartier branched to New York City its customers  were predominantly industrialists, Broadway as well as Hollywood actors. 



Over the past year up to now Cartier  has been making moves to get away from the periphery towards taking a position unto the main. With the new offering  “Drive De Cartier”  the maison  has hit a nerve. Now it unequivocally grabs and demands attention.

The exquisite yet manly Drive edition


Taking a closer look at the watch one notices the softness caused by the effect of the spiral lines at the centre of the dial. This is built upon the foundation of the oval shaped frame which communicates delicacy, ease and smoothness. The dial is distinctive with its characteristic Roman numerals. On the Roman numeral  7 is the Cartier insignia inscribed vertically on the V. As the eyes drift towards the crown miniature square columns encircle it and give off boldness and yet it ceases with a smooth round layer which provides a cushion for the sapphire stone finish.


No other form of straps could have been equally befitting than that made of  leather . The stitching follows the same colour as the straps. The straps come in customers preferred colour. The features of Cartier’s drive edition reveal  a self-evident truth; mainly that Cartier does not use coercion to assert itself but rather uses elegance and suavity to do so.

One of Cartier's fine  jewellery 


Lest we forget its worth bearing in mind that Cartier not only deals with horological instruments but it is also a high end jewellery maker.

So many articles on Cartier never omit mentioning  “Savoir faire”. What exactly is its meaning? It is a French term with  synonyms  highly appropriate to Cartier and these include suaveness, finesse, poise and grace.

When the name Cartier rings in my mind subsequently Courtier follows. It isn’t  by coincident that my mind strongly associates this watchmaker with a book titled The Courtier authored by Baldassare Castigliones. The book teaches gentility, class and elegance. These are traits that can be ascribed to Cartier. Even further Cartier can aid man in exuding such traits.

What if we were to dissect CARTIER as an acronym , what could each of the letters stand for?  C could stand for class, A for attention because it  grabs it. R would be for retrospective law for in life we  periodically think of the past then  the future but in the middle of this process the watch on our  wrists keeps us conscious of the present . T could stand for the English proverb that goes time and tide wait for no man. This proverb cautions us to make effective use of our disposable time. I could be for intricate because Cartier is a brand that’s boasts sophistication through  its products. E is for elevate, because this Parisian entity raises its patronages from positions of obscurity to prominence. R is for respect, the timepiece endows its consumers with it.


Cartier's 5th Avenue store in Manhattan.


A man was seated next to me in a particular conference, on my right hand side to be precise. The man’s hands were in a prayer-like position. So I was able to see the face of his watch worn on  his left wrist clearly. The watch was Cartier. A year later I spot the same man in another function. When I saw his face I was reminded of Cartier’s face. Now the faces have become interchangeable. These faces are living entities. The one that ticks is a timekeeper  for the one that breathes and the one that breathes is guided by the one that tocks.

Cartier as a whole has been able to achieve symmetry and symmetry is a prerequisite of beauty. Cartier is a timepiece of elegance, class and beauty.



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