Cartier

In 1912, Louis Cartier created and gifted a bespoke wristwatch to the Russian Grand Duchess Pavlovna, one of the brand’s top clients. It was small, and featured an unusual oval case. Though he did not know it at the time, he had just laid the groundwork for a future Cartier classic.

The potential behind this unnamed design was identified in 1957, after the war and just before the ‘Swinging Sixties’ where new and artistic designs flourished. The original small oval wristlet was stretched and enlarged to a bold and masculine 47mm in length, now also drastically curved to help the watch wrap around the wrist and appear more approachable to the contemporary audience. This new shape was known as the Allongée. Though the size and shape may seem highly unusual and modern for the period, when noting that during this time Cartier also introduced other daring creations such as the Crash and Oblique, it becomes evident that this was the result of a wider renaissance period in creativity for Cartier. 

After the creation of the Allongée, the Baignoire name and range was reintroduced sporadically and sparingly throughout the late twentieth century, much in the same way as the Crash. The present watch belongs to a very limited run of only 400 pieces, created by Cartier Paris in 1991 as part of the Collection Privée. This lot presents collectors with the rare opportunity to acquire a highly coveted and rare timepiece, belonging to one of Cartier’s most recognisable collections.