They say that necessity is the mom of invention. However, in the event you look attentively at the most prolific watch and jewelry designs, you’ll discover that these creations weren’t spurred on by obligation. Instead, these iconic silhouettes derive inspiration from on a regular basis objects which may go unnoticed to the untrained eye.
The Cartier Baignoire watch is one such icon that begins with this rudimentary pretence. Translating to “bathtub” in English, the recognisable oval define takes affect from the curved contours of those soaking hotspots, remodeling this common area of respite into one thing much more refined. Because who amongst us doesn’t imagine that the final type of luxurious isn’t an act of self-indulgence?
But the Baignoire isn’t essentially about pampering oneself. There are loads of different Cartier items that categorical this notion higher. (The screw-sealed Love is amongst this set, although somebody like Dakota Johnson, who’s explicitly identified for her ardour for bathing, would possibly actually see it this fashion. As she instructed the Wall Street Journal“I will get in a bathtub at any moment, any time of the day.”)
Instead, like the vessel it mimics the form of, it’s a masterclass in passing time. Quite an apt description for a chronometer, no? Or, as Brynn Wallner places it, a “proof of concept of watching and eyeing off what people are talking about and intentionally creating something specific from it.”
What is the Cartier Baignoire Watch?
The Cartier Baignoire watch is a method that dates again over a century, but it actually solely discovered its place in the annals of horology over the previous few years. The watch itself boasts smooth curves, a beaded crown set with a sapphire cabochon, a silvered dial and a quartz motion.
With a smaller mannequin and delicate end, the discrete magnificence inherent to the form makes it a ripe alternative for trendy dressers fascinated about one thing each conspicuous and up to date.
Yet, when put next to the Cartier Panthère or Tank, it is a fashion that actually flew below the radar for many years.
Wallner is a author and watch skilled who serves as a “femme forward resource”, as she says herself, below the title Dimepiece. Launched in 2020 throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Wallner disrupted the business by means of her insightful, approachable and colloquial commentary at a time when horology wasn’t essentially pandering to feminine customers. This shortage left area for Wallner to fill, which she did with wit, humour and an eagle eye for movie star watch-spotting and figuring out the subsequent most covetable fashion.
Despite by no means proudly owning a watch whereas working the account—a blight she swiftly corrected with the buy of a Cartier Tank Française to commemorate the platform’s one-year anniversary and her thirty first birthday—Wallner tells me over Zoom from her house in New York that it was the occasionally mentioned Baignoire that piqued her curiosity.
The History of the Cartier Baignoire Watch
Created in 1912, the Cartier Baignoire was born into obscurity after Louis Cartier, the grandson of the model’s founder Louis-François Cartier, designed the form for Russian Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna.
The rounded edges and petite face had been fairly revolutionary for the time, and in 1958, it went into manufacturing earlier than being formally baptised as the Baignoire in 1974, incomes the assist of early adopters like French New Wave actress Jeanne Moreau by direct consequence.
These endorsements actually helped the Baignoire stay as Cartier’s best-kept secret—a repute that adopted it by means of to the 2020s.
(Image credit score: Getty Images)
“A year and a half before starting Dimepiece, a friend of mine who I worked with at Sotheby’s introduced me to Alan Bedwell, a professional watch dealer who goes by Foundwell,” Wallner explains.
“He’s been in the business for 20 years, and on our first watch ‘date’, he came with a little pouch of ladies’ watches to just do a show and tell. Among those watches was the Cartier Baignoire, which I had never seen or heard of before, even though I had done a lot of research into watches.
“I was like, ‘What is this watch? It’s so cute. I’m obsessed.’ He explained it was a Cartier Baignoire and that it was named after a bathtub. I looked into it and was so surprised by the fact that, despite Catherine Deneuve wearing it and having this cool ‘60s design, nobody was talking about it.
“So, I started posting about it being like, ‘Oh my God, the Cartier Baignoire is so cute, how come nobody told me!’. Other people started to notice it, too, after I started calling it out. At the time, those watches were so undervalued on the secondary market. Nobody really cared about them or wanted them, which is why Alan had his collection for, like, ever.”
Wallner’s publicity for the Baignoire actually bolstered its desirability in the area, and it was a little bit over a yr later that Cartier cemented this on-line fervour with a splashy launch.
“Cartier was kind of watching what was unfolding online, and so in 2023 at Watches and Wonders [an annual trade event held in Geneva]their big release that year was the Baignoire on the bangle. It was also like the reintroduction of the Baignoire into the Cartier stable. That watch just took off after that.
“The Baignoire got the waitlist treatment that a lot of popular men’s watches get. It became really hard to purchase. You couldn’t just go into the Cartier store and buy the watch because it’s sold out, so all these people were like, ‘How do I get this watch?’
“That moment was the first time in recent history when a lady’s watch was so coveted. The Baignoire bangle has all these elements that nod to Cartier’s history as a jewellery maker, and when they were unveiling it, the brand explained that it was designed to be stacked, which was surprising to hear because stacking is almost a taboo subject in the watch industry. So when they said that, I thought, ‘Oh, they really thought about women and how women like to wear watches when they were creating this.”
Is the Cartier Baignoire Considered a Dress Watch?
To that time, considered one of the most spectacular parts about the Cartier Baignoire is the manner by which the watch workouts constraint. The design is taken into account a gown watch, which comes down to the slimmer profile and minimalist look. But as with so many issues in the watch world, the guidelines about who, the place and when somebody can put on a timepiece are always being rewritten.
Given the cult following the Baignoire has acquired, the unique few who’re lucky sufficient to name themselves house owners of this fashion aren’t simply proscribing themselves to sporting the watch throughout formal events. Peaking out from beneath the cuff of a sophisticated high or stacked with one other Cartier signature.
What Celebrities Wear the Cartier Baignoire?
Cartier’s most ostensible promoters have been these at the forefront of fashion, and the Baignoire isn’t any completely different. However, with this watch being a quieter show of style and magnificence, the movie star sightings require a little bit extra deft in figuring out.
For occasion, French actress and musician Lou Doillon has tactfully been sporting one since receiving a Baignoire as an 18th birthday current from her mom, Jane Birkin.
(Image credit score: Getty Images)
Kendall Jenner has softly accessorised her stealth wealth ensemble with this design too, eschewing the louder and emphatic strategy to style taken by her well-known sisters.
Elle Fanning, who not too long ago turned an envoy for the Parisian home, has additionally made the Baignoire an indispensable a part of her press tour wardrobe for her newest challenge, Sentimental Value.
While selling the film at the Cannes Film Festival on the Côte d’Azur and the London Film Festival in the English capital, Fanning showcased that selecting between an adjunct that doubles as each a timepiece and a bit of jewelry is definitely the most opulent factor you would put on.
(Image credit score: Getty Images)
On the different finish of the spectrum, the Cartier Baignoire has additionally garnered a fanbase with males who’re fascinated about collaborating in Cartier mania with out sporting one thing as simply identifiable.
Paul Mescal wore one to the international premiere of Gladiator II in Australia, whereas The Beatles’ rhythm guitarist, George Harrison, famously owned one after being gifted an identical fashion by the band’s supervisor Brian Epstein. (Given this connection, there’s little doubt that the Cartier Baignoire will make an look in Sam Mendes’ upcoming quartet of biopics on the legendary Liverpudlian musicians.)
How Much Is the Cartier Baignoire Watch?
This element, particularly, is probably the most interesting factor about the Cartier Baignoire. It’s neither only a singular watch nor a bracelet, however miraculously each, making it higher than the sum of its elements. So, how a lot would a Cartier Baignoire watch set you again?
Prices for the fashion start at £7,000 for a mini mannequin with a black varnished calfskin strap and may stand up to £98,000 for a method set on a rhodium-finish white gold set with 1026 brilliant-cut diamonds totalling 6.39 carats. On the resale market, nevertheless, types begin at £5,000 for classic and pre-loved iterations.
Is The Cartier Baignoire Watch Worth It?
It might sound that Cartier Baignoire pandemonium has reached fever pitch, however in accordance to the specialists, the need for this fashion exhibits no signal of dissipating.
“I think that it’s just gotten more popular, and because it is a vintage design, it has that staying power,” says Wallner. As she places it: “I don’t think it’s just a trend—it’s going to be one of the ‘canon’ watches.”
Without additional ado, maintain scrolling beneath to store the Cartier Biagnoire.
Shop the Cartier Baignoire Watch
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