Fast forwarding to modern times, it was not until 2002 that enamel painting works were launched in series at Cartier, and in circa 2007 where a dedicated in-house enamel atelier based in La Chaux-de-Fonds was set up.

A painstaking process that demands the most patient and skillful artists, there is absolutely no short cut in creating these works of art, thus commands respect and are highly regarded. Part of the Cartier d’ Art series in 2010, the present Ballon Bleu is part of a limited thematic series featuring some of the world’s most precious and endangered species. Intricately executed in champléve enamel, black mother-of-pearl, the graceful sea-turtle fills the canvas of the Ballon Bleu.

Equipped with the self-winding calibre 1904 that guarantees performance, the wearer can simply focus all their attention to admiring the artwork. Fresh-to-the-market and numbered 8 of a limited edition of 40 pieces and complete with its certificate and accessories, this extraordinary timepiece produced by the hands of artisans is part of an early series of the Cartier d’Art.