Cartier Panthère: The Best Cartier Watch for Ladies?

If there is such a thing as a reigning “It-Girl” watch, the title is definitely won by none other than Cartier’s Panthère. This petite heavyweight has captured the hearts, minds, and wrists of pop culture icons and the general public since its original debut in the early 1980s, and its lasting power has proven to be perennial. On a personal note, it was also the first watch I really took notice of and fell in love with when first breaking into this wild hobby, and foundational to my own taste in watches. While some out there criticize it for being more jewelry than watch, there is a richer, more interesting story to back the Cartier Panthère up. Today, we’re plunging into the deep end of this It-Girl watch’s origin story, tracing its evolution over time, and pinpointing the key ingredients of this watch’s steadfast popularity and whether or not it really is the best Cartier watch for ladies.

Cartier Panthère Context and History

Image: Sotheby's

Before we arrive at the birth of the It-Girl watch to end all It-Girl watches in the ‘80s, we must travel in our metaphorical time machine back further, all the way to 1913, the first year that the panther symbolism and imagery appeared in the Cartier universe. Quite fittingly, the story at hand also begins with an early 20th-century It-Girl in her own right, Jeanne Toussaint.

George Barbier's 1913 "Dame à la Panthère"

 Born in 1887 in Belgium, Toussaint utilized her bold and vivacious personality to ascend modest (and even difficult) childhood circumstances, and became a fixture of the dynamic artistic scene of Paris at the turn of the century, cultivating friendships with some of the most successful creative minds of the time, including Coco Chanel and, most key to our story, Louis Cartier. With her charm, wit, and boldness uncharacteristic for women at the time, Jeanne Toussaint and the grandson of Cartier’s founder became fast friends (and some have speculated more than just friends), developing a relationship that would eventually help Cartier define its modern identity. The first evidence of the creative partnership was in the advertising materials for a Cartier jewelry exposition, “Dame à la Panthère” by the illustrator George Barbier. An Art Deco depiction of a glamorous Greco-Roman woman draped in fine jewelry with a panther at her feet, the inspiration for the model is said to be Toussaint herself, who Louis Cartier affectionately nicknamed “La Panthère” – not only for her penchant for panther furs, but also for her fierce independence, wildness, and determination. 

Jeanne Toussaint via Prestige Online

By the end of 1913, Toussaint would begin to evolve from muse to a key fixture in the house of Cartier, starting first with overseeing the brand’s accessories department before being appointed as the director of fine jewelry, becoming the first woman in history to hold such a title. Cartier’s connection to the panther symbol became solidified in the partnership, and the brand would expand its Panthère symbolism past the early mixing of onyx to incorporate fine jewelry depictions of the animal in rings, brooches, and bracelets, dripping in precious stones. 

Though there is a period of time when she had to leave her position after falling under suspicion by the Nazis during the occupation of France, Toussaint resumed her position after the war ended, which she held until she retired in the 1970s. Toussaint’s impact on Cartier is monumental, and it was under her creative oversight and by her vision that the brand embraced color, played with materials, channeled global artistic inspirations and art movements, and embraced a powerful image of modern femininity that remains key to Cartier’s design today.  We also have Toussaint to thank for one of the most iconic women’s watches of all time, as its very name is a tribute to her legacy. 

Gwyneth Paltrow in Cartier via Getty

The next stop in our journey is in 1983, when the Cartier Panthère watch made its official debut. From the beginning, the Panthère was not intended to be a piece of haute horology, and instead, embraced the shift to quartz, rather than resisted it, and the Panthère has never, ever featured a mechanical movement. Instead, to the naysayers' points, the Panthère was made with a jewelry-first design ethos, and is made to blur the lines between jewelry and watch, and it almost immediately resonated with the zeitgeist of the time. It kind of has a reputation for being a “Party Girl” watch, and was frequently a wrist fixture in the glamorous and over-the-top party scene of the excessive 80s (and I would argue that the resilience of quartz is a strength for wild nights out on the town). Also, as a brief aside – I’m using the term “girl” throughout this article completely neutrally, for the record, more to evoke a certain vibe than pin this watch down to a specific gender.

I think the Panthère is actually really androgynous, even if it is quite tiny by many standards. The slinky, brick lay bracelet, combined with the square, Santos-esque case, makes this thing look great on just about anyone. Way before Timothee Chalamet was rocking the tiny Cartiers we’ve seen in recent years, Keith Richards has been a staunch wearer of his own menagerie of Panthère watches. The Panthère has a resume stacked with wearers in the celebrity world, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Madonna, Pierce Brosnan, Sophia Coppola, Zendaya, Bella Hadid – I could go on ad nauseam. 

Keith Richards wearing a Cartier Panthère via Getty

After enjoying steady commercial success through the 1980s-1990s, the Cartier Panthère did experience a dark period in the 2000s, with the brand removing it from its staple offerings, and shifting to limited edition pieces. But even during its hiatus, demand for the Panthère on the secondary market began to ramp up as interest in 80s and 90s design came back into style. In 2017, Cartier would officially relaunch the Panthère, staying true to its original identity but with slight tweaks to modernize the line. Today, the allure of the Cartier Panthère is as strong as ever – though some would argue that the Baignoire has somewhat knocked the Panthère out of the spotlight. It’s also the luxury watch I most frequently see out and about in New York, but that might boil down to a personal bias. 

Cartier Panthère Case and Wear

Image: Bonhams

While the first Panthère models featured a tiny 22mm case, in the subsequent years, Cartier expanded the line to include different sizing options, starting with a medium 27mm iteration. Currently, Cartier offers its Panthère in four distinct sizes: the teeny-tiny 19mm Mini; the 22mm Small; the 27mm Medium; and the 31mm Large. Given the popularity of the watch, Cartier has done what any smart brand does with a certified hit, and has iterated away with material combinations and diamond details to offer a healthily varied array of Pantherès. Currently, you have your choice between steel, white gold, yellow gold, rose gold, and two-tone combinations to choose from, which means there’s also a Panthère for a dramatic range of budgets, starting from the mid-$4,000s all the way up to the hundreds of thousands. 

Cartier Panthère Mini via Cartier

No matter the material, the Panthère does not stray from its firmly established design DNA, which can be boiled down to the soft square case (again, very Santos-like), the signature cabachon crown (typically in sapphire, but there’s some variation here), and, of course, the integrated Panthère bracelet, which is possibly the most significant element of its lasting power. Other than calling back to Toussaint’s nickname, the bracelet is also inspired by a panther in the animalistic sense. The slinky suppleness of the soft-brick links are directly inspired by the lithe, sinuous movements of a panther. Each link is slightly curved, and the staggering pattern helps give the bracelet its stunning fluidity and elegant drape. There are no lugs in the traditional sense, and the bracelet is fully integrated, which further helps this watch wear like a dream, in one continuous, effortless flow. It’s the core of the Panthère’s identity, given that the actual face of the watch is quite minimal, and is what ultimately gives it its fine jewelry appeal and makes the Panthère so distinct and recognizable. On the underside of the bracelet, there’s a stealthily hidden deployant clasp, which also further enhances its seamlessness.

Cartier Panthère Dial 

Image courtesy of Cartier

As I mentioned before, the dial of the Cartier Panthère is pretty simple, as the bracelet is the real star of the show here, but it’s also so quintessentially Cartier it hurts (in a good way). The brand has experimented with colored dial options of the Panthère at times, largely during the 80s and 90s, but now, it really reserved any dial experiments for special editions with extremely limited production runs. The codified dial design is a white dial with the signature Cartier Roman numerals, the very Art Deco railroad (or technically “chemin de fer”) style minutes track, and a pair of tempered blue hand, which typically compliment the blue sapphire cabachon on the crown quite nicely, The script is also pleasantly minimal, with just the Cartier logo under twelve and a “Swiss Made” distinction that’s so tiny you just might miss it. 

Cartier Panthère Movement

Image: Chrisie's

For the movement, you will never (and I’m guessing ever) find a Panthère with a mechanical movement. It’s a post-quartz-crisis piece that has never strayed from its quartz-powered roots. The Panthère is a watch that embraces, rather than hides from, its jewelry-ness. While the brand does not explicitly disclose the actual quartz caliber numbers, the quartz in question is provided by Swiss manufacturers like ETA that have been adapted for the brand. 

Final Thoughts

Vintage 1991 Cartier Panthère advertisement

Despite this article’s clickbait title, I don’t really enjoy throwing the term “best” around lightly. What’s best for me might not be best for you, etc. But there is no denying that the Panthère is likely Cartier’s most successful watch, designed and marketed specifically for a women's consumer base. While many brands are still scrambling to pinpoint what watches women actually want to buy, the girls are going to Cartier (or to the secondary market) and buying a Panthère. While I am sometimes struck by the twinge of needing to go against the grain and resist what’s popular in my personal tastes, all that goes out the window in the case of the Panthère, especially when I get one on my wrist. You can learn more over at cartier.com