Cartier relaunched its heralded Privé Collection in 2015 after a seven-year hiatus and has thus far re-introduced four classic forms of the brand’s twentieth-century watchmaking: the Crash, the Tonneau, the Tank Cintrée, and most recently, the Asymétrique. In April 2020, Cartier released the Privé Collection Tank Asymétrique during the online-only format of Watches & Wonders. Receiving much fanfare, the Asymétrique was offered in platinum, 18 karat pink gold, and 18 karat yellow gold, with only 100 examples to be produced in each metal.
The Asymétrique first appears in Cartier history in 1936; it was alternately called the “Losange” or “Parallélogramme”. Since the beginning of its history in both horology and joaillerie, Cartier has pushed the envelope of design, therefore it is unsurprising that they would adopt such a startling take on their classic Tank watch – shifting its borders until the square became a diamond. In 1996, before the Collection Privé Cartier Paris (CPCP) was established, a limited run of 300 pieces in yellow gold and 100 in platinum was released with the same alternating Arabic numerals and baton indexes as the original 1936 model. In 2006, under the CPCP collection, an updated Asymétrique was released with 150 pieces in yellow gold, featuring updated lugs and a guilloche dial with applied black Roman numerals. A few very limited iterations in platinum and a series to commemorate the handoff of Macau to China were also produced during this time period.
The present example from 2020 is wrought in 18 karat pink gold, combined with a striking, radially-brushed anthracite grey dial with applied Arabic numerals and signature cabochon sapphire crown. Unworn and untouched, with all of its original accessories and booklets, retaining even its caseback stickers, those who missed out on them in 2020 finally have their chance to seize upon this captivating and striking timepiece.
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.