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1168Σ

Cartier

Ref. W69200001

Ballon Bleu Flying Tourbillon

A fine and attractive pink gold flying tourbillon wristwatch with guilloché dial, roman numerals, certificate and presentation box

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Cartier has long been associated with the word “luxury”, from producing the most exquisite jewellery in the world to extravagant timepieces. In the early 1990’s, the firm was starting to research and develop its own calibers from their Geneva workshop. The first tourbillon wristwatch produced by Cartier was in the 1980’s when they issued the Diabolo Tourbillon.

In 2009, Cartier introduced the Ballon Bleu, which housed an entirely in-house caliber 9452 MC and was their first. Since the launch of the Ballon Bleu, the firm went on to produce variants with various complications housed inside the Ballon Bleu case.

The present example is a Cartier Ballon Bleu Flying Tourbillon offered in excellent condition and further accompanied by the original certificate and box.

Cartier

French

With the Constitution of 1848 came a new standard for luxury in France. Founded one year prior by Louis-Francois Cartier, the house of Cartier was one of the first to use platinum in jewelry making. This incredibly expensive material became the stepping-stone for Cartier to experiment in form, mechanisms and attitude. It helped men move from pocket watches to wristwatches, effectively making the watch much more functional and prominent in a man's overall wardrobe.

Cartier did not only touch on functionality. Inspired by a commissioned painting by George Barbier featuring a black panther at the feet of an elegantly bejeweled woman, Cartier began incorporating wild animals in his designs—most notably, Cartier Panthère rings, bangle bracelets and watches. Yet it wasn't until the late 1960s that the house of Cartier debuted their iconic yellow and rose gold LOVE collection, which includes the famous bracelet that only a special screwdriver can open. 

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