SimplyAbuDhabi XLIX

The panther offers Cartier an entirely different vocabulary. Created within the Maison des Métiers d’Art in La Chaux-de-Fonds, where artisans specialise in disciplines including enamelling, marquetry, lacquer, and gem- setting, the Panthère Jewellery Watch turns the feline into a guardian of time. Onyx defines the nose and dial, vivid tsavorite garnets illuminate the eyes, and diamonds trace the bezel and lugs, while individually worked lacquer spots recall historic Cartier creations. The emphasis is not simply on brilliance but expression: the subtle modelling of the face and body gives the animal an almost startling sense of presence. Elsewhere in Cartier’s menagerie, a Crocodile Jewellery Watch curls sinuously around a fully diamond-set dial. Crafted in rhodium- finish white gold and illuminated by 4.8 carats of brilliant-cut diamonds, its exquisitely articulated scales, ridged back, and cabochon emerald eyes demonstrate how closely jewellery craftsmanship can mimic the textures and tensions of the natural world. Yet perhaps the most audacious expression is the latest Panthère Jewellery Watch in white gold. Conceived as a sculptural Toi et Moi bangle, one end becomes a prowling panther while the other reveals time itself. No fewer than 1,103 brilliant-cut diamonds, totalling 11.9 carats, create its snow-set coat; emerald eyes and an onyx nose provide flashes of colour, while onyx spots are secured using an intricate fur-setting technique designed to evoke the texture of a living pelt. For Cartier, horology here becomes something more celebratory than mechanical. Moving between naturalism, abstraction, sculpture, and watchmaking while continually revisiting the Maison’s visual language and heralded legacy, Cartier is creating timeless classics for a new generation. Simply Abu Dhabi | 225