How a Paris workshop became the jeweller of kings, and the designs that still define it.
By Shreya S · Last reviewed 15 November 2026
Who founded Cartier?
Louis-François Cartier took over his master’s Paris workshop in 1847. His three grandsons turned it into a global house: Louis ran Paris, Pierre opened New York and Jacques ran London. Royal warrants followed, and Edward VII is said to have called Cartier the jeweller of kings and the king of jewellers. In 1917 Pierre famously acquired the Fifth Avenue mansion that is still Cartier’s New York flagship in exchange for a pearl necklace.
Why is Cartier famous for watches?
Louis Cartier designed the Santos in 1904 for the aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont, who wanted to read the time without taking his hands off the controls, making it one of the first men’s wristwatches. The Tank followed in 1917, its shape inspired by the tanks of the First World War. Both are still in the collection, and the Tank is one of the most copied watch designs ever made.
Where does the panther come from?
From Jeanne Toussaint, nicknamed “La Panthère”, who became Cartier’s director of fine jewellery in 1933. She turned the animal into the house signature, most famously in a three-dimensional panther brooch made for the Duchess of Windsor in 1948. The Panthère de Cartier still runs through the jewellery and watches today.
What about the Love bracelet?
Designed by Aldo Cipullo in New York in 1969, it locks shut with a tiny screwdriver, so taking it off means asking someone else. Cipullo also designed the nail-shaped Juste un Clou in 1971. Along with the Trinity ring of 1924, these are the house’s best-selling fine jewellery. Cartier has been owned by the Swiss group Richemont since the group was formed in 1988.
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