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23

Cartier

Baignoire

An attractive, rare, and culturally significant yellow gold oval-shaped wristwatch, formerly owned by James Garner, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the James Garner Animal Rescue Fund

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Though the public release of the Baignoire occurred in 1957, the first unofficial Cartier Baignoire was created during the 1910s with Louis Cartier presenting an oval wristwatch to his best individual client of the day, the Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia, also known as “the grandest of the grand duchesses”. The subsequent commercial iteration, named Baignoire after the French word for bathtub, has retained enduring success throughout the 20th century and into the 21st century, with everything from exquisite high joiallierie examples having been produced, to mini quartz-powered pieces, to the Maxi Oval Baignoire measuring over 58mm in length.

The present example, owned and worn by James Garner, is a medium-sized model of the Baignoire Paris dating to the 1960s. Preserved in outstanding original condition, the case bears the eagle’s head hallmark for 18K gold imported to France, and a “Made in France” designation, corroborating the “Paris” dial. It was most notably seen and photographed on Garner’s wrist during the 2000 premiere of Space Cowboys. At 6’2’’, the moderately-sized Baignoire is an interesting choice for Garner, but he pulls it off with aplomb, pairing it with a suit and tie, and his beloved Lois on his arm. Likely a gift from his wife, as most of his watches were gifts marking special occasions, his daughter Gigi recounts that it was his “favorite dress watch”.

PROPERTY OF THE FAMILY OF THE ORIGINAL OWNER

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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