Cartier timepieces have long been one of the most popular luxury watches for women. Generally speaking, Cartier has employed the clever strategy of making most of its watches available in various sizes so that men and women can pick which model fits them best. As a result, plenty of Cartier watch designs are considered unisex. What’s more, the majority of its watch designs— like so many products designed in France — include a mix of masculine and feminine details, which in turn appeals to a broader audience. However, Cartier has also dedicated a section of its watch catalog to pieces explicitly designed for a female audience, which has proven to be a lucrative strategy for the luxury powerhouse. From Tank and Panthere to Ballon Bleu and Pasha, here’s a comprehensive guide to Cartier women’s watch models.
Cartier Tank Watches For Women
Designed in 1917 after the tanks of World War I, there is perhaps no Cartier watch more famous than the Tank. Over the last century, Cartier has expanded the Tank watch collection with a vast assortment of iterations but always retaining the model’s fundamental blueprint. The defining feature of a Cartier Tank is a rectangular case with thick straight sides (which Cartier calls brancards, French for “stretchers”) that extend into the watch’s lugs. Other common details are part of Cartier’s overall design language, which include Roman numerals, rail-road minute tracks, blue sword-shaped hands, and a blue cabochon stone set into the winding crown.
As mentioned, there are plenty of Tank variations, each offering a distinct interpretation of the watch. For instance, there are the elongated Tank Cintree and Americaine, the minimalist Tank Solo and Tank Must, the classic Tank Louis Cartier, the beefy Tank Anglaise and Tank MC, and others. However, for women, the most famous is the Tank Française, introduced in the mid-1990s and still going strong today with a collection-wide refresh in 2023.
The Tank Française, characterized by square dials and chain-link bracelets, is available in steel, gold (yellow, rose, and white), and two-tone steel and gold. Of course, diamonds are always an option.
Cartier Panthere Watch For Women
Named after the company’s favorite feline, the Cartier Panthère watch was introduced in the mid-1980s. Its defining characteristic is its supple brick-link bracelet, mimicking the graceful movement of the panther. Other signature design details of the Cartier Panthere watch are square cases, dials, and bezel, with the latter punctuated with exposed screws. It’s similar in design to the Santos (which we’ll get to in a bit) but it’s that jewelry-like bracelet that makes all the difference.
Aside from the principal five-link configuration, Cartier does offer variations of the Panthère watch bracelet including double-wrapped versions and wide cuffs.
Cartier Tank vs. Panthere
Not only are the Tank and Panthere some of the most popular Cartier women’s watches in the market but also they can look quite similar. As such, let’s do a brief rundown on their similarities and differences.
While the Tank and Panthere have quadrilateral cases, upon further inspection we see that the former is more angular while the latter has rounder edges. The Tank can come in various proportions (long, short, arched, etc) while the Panthere’s case silhouette remains the same across iterations (except for size, of course.) The Panthere’s dials and bezels also have rounded corners, which adds a more feminine touch to the style of the watch. Furthermore, the Panthere’s case includes crown guards while the Tank’s winding crown does not include protective shoulders.
The biggest difference between the two models is the bracelet; as previously covered, Panthere watches are fitted with brick-link bracelets. On the other hand, Tank watches can be paired with leather straps or bracelets, and the bracelets typically have a three-link configuration with wide center links.
In short, the Panthere watch is dressier and more ornate while the Tank timepiece is generally more casual and classic.
Cartier Ballon Bleu Watches For Women
Compared to other Cartier models, the Ballon Bleu is a relatively new design, unveiled in the mid-2000s. The watch features a pebble-like case, complete with a convex sapphire crystal that emphasizes the bulbous shape. The watch takes its name from the blue stone-set winding crown that looks like it’s floating inside the edge of the case.
Similar to other Cartier watches for women, the Ballon Bleu is available in a slew of materials, sizes, dial colors, and movement types. Depending on the size, some versions include a date window while others don’t. Furthermore, while metal bracelets are most common, Cartier does offer some Ballon Bleu models with leather straps.
Cartier Pasha Watches For Women
Unbeknownst to some, the Cartier Pasha was designed by Gerald Genta, the same man behind icons such as the Royal Oak and the Nautilus. Launched in the 1980s but according to the brand, inspired by a bespoke swim-ready watch made for the Pasha of Marrakesh in the 1930s, the Pasha watch is sporty by Cartier standards but still quite dressy compared to the other sports watches thanks in part to Vendome-style lugs and cabochon-stone-set crowns.
A few of the defining attributes of the Pasha include round cases, square minute tracks and Arabic numerals on the round dial, and a cap protecting the crown attached to the case via a small chain. Some of the most striking versions of the Pasha are those with removable grilles, inspired by the original piece from the 1930s. The modern Pasha collection offers
Cartier Santos Watches for Women
The Cartier Santos is one of the brand’s most historically important pieces, initially designed in 1904 for aviator Alberto-Santos Dumont to be able to tell the time while keeping his hands on the steering instruments during his pioneering flights (much more practical than a pocket watch). It was then redesigned in the late 1970s for the glitzy era and it remains a mainstay of Cartier’s catalog, featuring a rounded square case, rounded square bezel with exposed screws, and more often than not, metal bracelets also punctuated with metal screws.
Although the Santos is marketed more toward men in today’s market, generally positioned as Cartier’s GADA watch, there are indeed a few Santos models — both vintage and modern — that are designed specifically for ladies. For instance, there are smaller versions of both the sportier Santos de Cartier watches with metal bracelets and the dressier Santos-Dumont watches paired with leather straps.
Cartier Ronde and Rotonde Watches For Women
The Ronde and Rotonde watches are Cartier’s classically round cases. However, they differ in that the Ronde collection usually offers quite simple models whereas the Rotonde typically features complications or interesting watchmaking traditions.
For instance, the Rotonde de Cartier Mysterious Hour features a distinct hour and minute display that appears as if they’re floating in mid-air and operating without a movement. Cartier has been making mystery clocks and watches for well over a century; the secret is that the hands are attached to two crystal disks and the hidden movement moves the disks, which in turn move the hands. In true Cartier fashion, there are plenty of high-jewelry versions of the Rotonde availble, decked out in diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and other precious gems.
Other Cartier Watches for Women
In addition to the above best-known Cartier watches for women, the brand has made plenty of other ladies’ timepieces over the decades, which we’ll briefly cover here.
Cartier Tortue
Introduced in 1912 and named after the French word for turtle, the Cartier Tortue’s defining feature is its turtle shell-shaped case.
Cartier Baignoire
Also designed in 1912, the Baignoire is named after the French word for bathtub given its oval-shaped case.
Cartier Crash
For a long time, it was believed that the Crash watch’s amorphic design was the result of a fiery car crash that melted a client’s Cartier watch. That was the story Cartier told. However, according to Francesca Cartier Brickell, it was actually her grandfather, Jean-Jacques Cartier who designed the watch in 1967. The Cartier Crash has become one of the most in-demand watches in today’s market —for men and women.
High Jewelry Watches
Given Cartier’s history as one of the world’s greatest jewelers, it should come as no surprise that the Maison makes some incredible jewelry watches. From diamond-encrusted shaped watches to bejeweled animal motifs to sparkling classic numbers, Cartier’s catalog is replete with women’s high jewelry watches.
Cartier Privé & CPCP
Cartier launched an ultra-exclusive collection dubbed the Cartier PrivĂ© Collection Paris, also known as CPCP, in 1998. This collection housed re-issues of distinctive pieces from Cartier’s archives, made in limited runs. The modern version of the CPCP line is simply called Cartier PrivĂ© and like its predecessor, it’s home to historically important pieces geared towards serious Cartier collections.
Cartier’s Women’s Watches
As illustrated by the pieces outlined here, it’s clear that Cartier is committed to making beautiful watches for women —which is why the company has been a leader in this field for decades. Other brands could learn a thing or two from Cartier by prioritizing their women’s watch lineup with interesting pieces rather than just “shrinking and pinking” already-existing men’s watches. They may find success in an underserved market if they actually put in the type of effort Cartier does.
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