Cartier Baignoire

Baignoire is the collection of women's watches from the Paris house Cartier with an oval case. The shape dates back to 1912, when Louis Cartier proposed an elongated oval with soft, rounded lines instead of the usual round case. The name refers to this silhouette: baignoire is French for “bathtub”.

The Cartier Baignoire Mini models covered here are watches and jewellery in one. The oval case in 18-carat gold — pink, yellow or white — flows into a rigid cuff bracelet. The dial is silvered or white, or gold with a sunburst finish on the Yellow Gold and Diamonds. It carries Roman numerals and blued-steel sword-shaped hands under a sapphire crystal. The crown is set with a blue sapphire cabochon or a diamond.

Within the collection, models differ above all in their finish. The Baignoire Watch Mini is plain gold without stones. On the Diamonds versions, brilliant-cut diamonds run around the bezel, and on the Yellow Gold and Diamonds along the bracelet too. On the Full Diamonds Pavé, pavé setting covers both case and bracelet. There are also models on a black leather strap instead of a cuff. So the choice comes down to three questions: which colour of gold, how many stones, and what bracelet size. If you would like a Cartier of a different shape, take a look at the Tank and Panthère de Cartier collections.