The Cartier brand boasts a colorful and illustrious history that is reflected in its many beautiful collections. Designers like Aldo Cipullo and Jean Toussaint made their respective indelible marks on the Cartier brand and created designs that are still in circulation today. To navigate Cartier’s extensive collections, each of which bearing their own kind of spirit, we’ve put together this “cheat sheet” to guide you towards the best Cartier purchase for you, based on the brand’s most popular products.

Cartier Love Bracelet 

The Love Bracelet is perhaps the most popular Cartier creation in the market. Its simplistic design inspired by screw heads and its romantic backstory will appeal to those who have a penchant for charming, clean-cut pieces.

The Juste un Clou bracelet’s uncomplicated design contributes to its appeal. Inspired by the shape of construction nails, this piece has a downtown edge that gives it a grittier sense of character without sacrificing Cartier’s signature luxurious touch.

Stackable rings may be in right now, but the Trinity Ring brings the concept to a whole new level. This ring features three thin interlocked bands that overlap to create a single ring. The ring’s design puts an informal spin on the traditional wedding ring stack and puts it in the realm of contemporary art, perfect for those who enjoy abstract artwork and versatile jewelry.

Fans of the late Princess Diana will recognize this watch, as she famously wore it to many of her charity events and functions. The Tank Francaise’s classic square face is the perfect minimalist touch to a no-nonsense wardrobe.

The Anglaise is the Tank Francaise’s younger, softer sister: with its rounded square case, large and easy-to-read face, and updated crown design, the watch puts a contemporary spin on its rigid, Art Deco-inspired roots.

The Ballon Bleu is a beautiful watch with a classic face featuring bold Roman numerals and a rounded case with a protector for the gemstone-embedded crown. Those seeking a classic design with a contemporary streak will love this timepiece.

The Roadster Watch is the more masculine counterpart to the Ballon Bleu. The tonneu-shaped case calls back to the classic watches of the 1950s and ‘60s, and the protruding crown and pushers, which challenge the shape of the case, contribute to the watch’s bold design. This timepiece is perfect for someone who prefers a good mix of the unconventional and the timeless in their wardrobe. 

The Santos watch is more traditionally masculine. Its rounded rectangular face comes in at a striking 51 mm, which is especially large, even for a men’s watch. Its size is complemented by the simple face and clean Roman numerals. This versatile watch can appeal to someone who appreciates a good, traditional timepiece.

The Omega Speedmaster has been an integral part of the space missions since the great Space Race began in 1955. Since it became officially NASA-certified, the Speedmaster has been worn by history’s greatest astronauts and aboard the most groundbreaking missions including Apollo 11 and Apollo 13.

We take a look at how the Omega Speedmaster transitioned from being a pilot’s watch to being the first watch on the moon and how it saved the lives of the astronauts aboard the Apollo 13.

Why Chronographs?
In the early 20th century and with the rise of flight travel, chronograph watches (or watches with a stopwatch) were specially designed for pilots. The pushers that started and stopped the stopwatch and the later addition of a rotating bezel allowed pilots to quickly calculate flight time, wind speeds, and fuel levels mid-air. Soon, chronographs were universally worn by commercial and military pilots and their flight crews.

So, as NASA was ambitiously preparing to launch a man into space in the late 1950s, it was decided that only an intrepid test pilot could endure the foolhardy mission. In turn, the chronograph was expectedly adopted as a part of the pilot-turned-astronaut’s essential equipment.

How Omega Became the First Watch in Space
Starting in 1955, the United States was in an aggressive Space Race with the Soviet Union; the Cold War rivals doggedly flexed their power and competed to be the world’s best in spaceflight capability. While the Soviet Union would ultimately have the honor of being the first to put a human into space in 1961, the United States raised the stakes yet again with Project Mercury which, in 1962, successfully saw astronaut John Glenn orbit the Earth three times. From there, the race to the Moon was on with the US lagging behind the Soviet Union.

As NASA was organizing its second set of human spaceflight missions, known as Project Gemini, scientists called for bids from watchmakers to design a chronograph for the astronauts. Because they were largely uncertain as to what a pilot would encounter above the Earth’s atmosphere, scientists demanded a watch that could withstand virtually every possible condition. Wristwatches were tested under extreme conditions including a temperature range of 200 degrees Fahrenheit down to 0 degrees and an acceleration from 1 to 7.25g (G-Force) within 333 seconds. (For comparison, the average fighter pilot can only endure only slightly above 5g before they blackout and lose consciousness.)

Ultimately, in 1965, Omega would beat out heavy-hitters like Rolex and Breitling, remaining within 5 seconds per day rate under the extreme conditions.

After the Omega Speedmaster was officially qualified for space flight, it was worn by astronauts Gus Grissom and John Young on their Gemini 3 mission. In late 1965, astronaut Ed White wore an Omega Speedmaster during his Gemini 4 spacewalk.

The Omega Speedmaster Aboard Apollo 11
All the Gemini missions ultimately led up to the Project Apollo, a series of manned and unmanned missions from 1969-1972 aimed at landing the first man on the Moon. This seemingly impossible goal was accomplished in 1969 with the Apollo 11 mission when astronaut Neil Armstrong took his first step on the Moon.

Omega Speedmasters were by now a part of the astronaut uniform and spacesuit. However, Armstrong left his wristwatch aboard the spacecraft when he took those first groundbreaking steps. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, though, did wear his as he climbed down after Armstrong and, on July 20th, 1969, the Omega Speedmaster earned the title of the first watch on the moon.

Omega’s Crucial Role on the Return of the Ill-Fated Apollo 13
In 1970, Apollo 13 launched with astronauts James Lovell, John Swigert and Fred Haise—and their respective Omega Speedmasters—aboard.

Two days into the flight, astronauts felt a rumble in the spacecraft and learned one of the craft’s oxygen tanks had exploded. As the astronauts aborted their mission and powered down all nonessential systems, NASA ground control hustled to strategize a way to bring them home. Using the modest supplies on board, Mission Control organized an incredibly ingenious but precarious plan to safely re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere using the lunar module as a vessel.

The lunar module (which was designed to only travel between the shuttle and the moon’s surface) was effectively turned into a lifeboat and required manual calculations in order to safely land. Without any automatic guidance and zero room for error, the astronauts relied on their Omega Speedmaster watches to make mid-flight adjustments to their trajectory. Lovell, Swigert and Haise successfully splashed down in the Pacific Ocean thanks in large part to the accuracy of their in-flight calculations and Omega Speedmasters.

Omega Commemorates the Space Missions
Omega remains inextricably tied to the history of America’s space exploration. In turn, the Swiss manufacturer honors these moments with a handful of styles:

The all black Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch “Dark Side of the Moon” was named after Apollo 8 mission which successfully orbited the Moon—and thus made astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and William Anders the first humans to ever see the dark side of the moon. Later versions of the “Dark Side of the Moon” were issued in grey and white and even one with a dial made of a piece of prehistoric meteorite that crashed into Earth thousands of years ago.

The Speedmaster Apollo 11 45th Anniversary Limited Edition was released in 2014 to commemorate the historic mission’s lunar landing. For this unique design, Omega was inspired by the colors of the moon and Apollo 11 modules. The final Speedmaster features a specially designed grey-brown dial with a lightweight titanium case and 18k Sedna gold accents.

Following the safe return of Apollo 13, Omega was awarded a Silver Snoopy Award, a special honor awarded to NASA employees and contractors for their outstanding achievements and contributions to flight missions. In 2015, Omega released the Omega Speedmaster Professional Silver Snoopy Award in honor of the 45th anniversary of the Apollo 13. This Speedmaster features a small inscription on the dial between 0-14 seconds reads, “What could you do in 14 seconds?” refers to one of the mid-flight trajectory adjustments the skilled astronauts made to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere.

By the time of the Space Race and the awe-inspiring space missions that followed, Omega had long-established itself as a leading Swiss watch brand. However, when placed within the context of this unique time in America’s history, the Omega Speedmaster takes on a new, rich identity that enchants both new and longtime fans.

The TAG Heuer Carrera ranks as the favorite model of the TAG Heuer brand, beloved for its sleek and function-focused design. However, the backstory of the Carrera is a fascinating one and fuels the watch’s intrigue.

We take a look at the infamous sports car race that ignited Jack Heuer’s obsession to develop a chronograph that could keep pace with the sports’ most daring drivers: the TAG Heuer Carrera.

How a Chance Encounter Lead to the TAG Heuer Carrera
The inspiration for the TAG Heuer Carrera can be traced back to March 1962 when Jack Heuer, great grandson of the TAG Heuer founder, attended the 12 Hours of Sebring sports car race as a guest of the Sports Car Club of America. TAG Heuer had lent their precision stopwatches to serve as the endurance race’s official timekeepers and the exclusive passes were a thank you to Jack.

During the race, Jack struck up a conversation with the parents of the Rodriguez brothers, two daring Ferrari drivers who were favored to win the Sebring. The parents were, naturally, terrified for their sons’ safety in their chosen sport. However, the two somewhat consoled themselves knowing that their boys could not compete in the infamous Carrera Panamericana races which had stopped in 1954.

As perilous as the 12 Hours of Sebring race was—a grueling 12-hour long drive whirling around the track at upwards of 117.98 mph—its danger paled in comparison to the Carrera Panamericana.

The Gruesome History of the Carrera Panamericana Race
The short-lived Carrera Panamericana race was a 2,096-mile-long, border-to-border race across Mexico. The treacherous and unforgiving desert landscape, combined with the vast distance and the incredibly fast speeds that frequently hit 100 mph, made the Carrera Panamericana a frighteningly hazardous race. And in its five years, the Carrera Panamericana left 27 racers dead, with one of the highest mortality rates per race in the history of the sport.

Transfixed by the infamy of the Carrera Panamericana and the veritable legendary status the race had earned, Jack Heuer registered the Carrera name for TAG Heuer and set about designing a watch to match the storied name.

Designing the TAG Heuer Carrera
Jack Heuer ultimately wanted an incredibly clean and legible dial for his Carrera watch. He stripped away any unnecessary tracks and markers and zeroed in on elements that would only improve the watch’s legibility. From the onset, Jack wanted the Carrera to be waterproof, shockproof, anti-magnetic and so durable it could endure the harsh racing conditions.

The obsessively engineered, no-frills chronograph design features a wide dial opening and painted 1/5 second markers on the tension ring to effectively make it double as an inner bezel. The Carrera’s chronograph is operated by simple pump pushers that start and stop with a satisfying click. The watchcase includes long, diamond-polished lugs to give the Carrera a definitively modern finish.

The Carrera made its official debut in 1963. The watch was nearly immediately an international best-seller and remains TAG Heuer’s most popular model. It has earned a loyal following for its distinguished and crisp dial. With its inextricable ties to some of sports car racing’s biggest moments, the Carrera has become a favorite of gear-heads and car aficionados in particular while remaining a favorite for admirers of fine work watches.

Expectedly, in the world of fashion, presentation is everything. Brands are so particular about each and every design element that goes into their imagery, so naturally, they would pay just as much attention to the logo. When it comes to Bulgari, consumers often confuse the spelling of the brand name for its logo, BVLGARI. We’re here to set the record straight about that and share a little about how that confusion came to be.

First of all, the brand name is only written as BVLGARI when referring to the trademarked name and logo. When referring to product names or even just writing about the brand in an editorial sense, the simple “Bulgari” spelling is used.

As we note in this post about the history of the brand, Bulgari truly took root in Rome, Italy; that is where the business experienced its first successful boom, which is what inspired founder Sotirio Voulgaris, an artist and entrepreneur from a humble silversmithing family in a small village in Greece, to change his name and fully embrace the Italian city that he and his brainchild now called home. Thus, the brand’s name changed from Voulgaris to Bulgari, which is the phonetic spelling of the name in Italian.

Rome, its culture, and its architecture became the cornerstone of Bulgari’s designs: the structural, geometric motifs that appeared throughout Roman architecture heavily informed the Bulgari design team’s creations.

This dedication to the brand’s home city of Rome, and luxury brands’ penchant for paying thorough homages to the muses that inspire their classic motifs, led to the Voulgaris’ decision to update the logo to BVLGARI, using a V instead of a U, as they did when the Roman alphabet was still widely used.

Today, the brand not only produces jewelry, but also fragrances, scarves and neckties, sunglasses, and leather goods. In addition, they have launched the Bulgari Hotels and Resorts, a group of luxury hotels spanning the most fashion-forward cities in Europe and Asia.

In 1976 Chopard designer Ronald Kurowski sought to reproduce – with jewelry – the magic of sunbeams playing across a waterfall that he viewed while on vacation. His groundbreaking idea was to leave round brilliant diamonds free to dance and spin between two clear sapphire crystals, allowing them to express the full force of their natural beauty as the wearer moved in their natural way. Today, over forty years later, Chopard’s “Happy Diamonds” are still an important part of the brand’s jewelry and watch collections, and to say that their customers are thrilled about that fact would be an incredible understatement.

Inside the Happy Diamonds Design
But how do Happy Diamonds stay so happy? What makes these circles of brilliance move about their sapphire ice rinks as if they were trying out for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games?

The concept, while seemingly complex, is actually quite simple. Each diamond is carefully selected by master jewelers at Chopard and set in a gold bezel which has a beveled base. The bezel is then placed flush between the two sapphire crystals, enabling the diamonds to move in any direction, spinning as the wearer moves and creating a flurry of activity that is both eye-catching and smile-inducing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CefV6NLiqfo&feature=youtu.be

Happy Diamonds’ 40th Anniversary
In 2016, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Happy Diamonds, Chopard took their journey to the next level. While playing with the design codes of previous periods yet never renouncing their legendary identity, the brand took Kurowski’s concept to the next level: Chopard presented new moving elements featuring an unprecedented innovation in the history of Happy Diamonds: a prong setting. This allowed the diamonds to be larger than before while also varying in stone sizes, thus accentuating their whirling dance and the design’s spirit of profusion. The new collection named “Happy Dreams” became an instant collector’s item among the brand’s fans.

The Happy Diamonds Legacy
Chopard has proven itself over the years not only to be a company that is willing to embrace technology, innovation, and change, but also to be a brand that does so while never letting ago of the history that made them as well-known as they are today. From their retail boutiques to their red carpet ambassadors, Chopard has set themselves apart in the jewelry world by using ethically sourced materials in their jewelry and watches; a concept that has proven to be extraordinarily important to both Generation X and Millennials, alike.

If diamonds are supposed to be forever, then “Happy Diamonds” must take the wearer through that eternity with a wide grin on their face and an extra beat in their heart. If diamonds can dance in this day and age, imagine what the designers at Chopard will come up with 40 years from now. The brand hit the nail on the head when they released the following statement:

Happy Diamonds: essential gems that have a rare ability to transcend successive eras and to perpetually reinvent themselves as time goes by.

Rolex watches are the most popularly counterfeited watches on the market, but the model that is counterfeited the most, bar none, is the Rolex Daytona. This watch is threaded with the most prestige out of Rolex’s models, simply because it is often produced in extremely limited qualities and because it is the model that the brand updates or reinvents the most. To protect yourself from investing in a counterfeit Daytona, follow this guide we’ve put together to identifying a fake. These tips are for spotting fake Rolex Daytonas specifically. For our more detailed post about spotting fake Rolexes in general, click here.

The Face

The Dial

One of the first things to take note of is that Daytonas are not made with a date complication. If the watch you’re looking at is supposedly a Daytona but is equipped with a date window, it’s fake.

All Daytonas are chronographs, meaning they are outfitted with three subdials that can measure lapsed time via the pushers on the case. Assuming that the font on the subdials is correct and the type is spaced evenly, the subdials should also be evenly distributed along the face of the watch. They shouldn’t crowd any of the markers and should all be the same size. It should go without saying, but be sure to test them out. If you fiddle with the pushers on the case and the subdials don’t respond, you have a fake.

Many genuine Rolexes have minute hands that stutter instead of sweep through the watch, but the incredible craftsmanship that goes into making them ensures that they will never produce an audible ticking sound. In addition, the minute hand should be long enough to actually reach the minute markings on the dial.

Also, make sure the tachymeter scale on the bezel has the correct font, is spaced correctly, and has accurate, high-quality markings.

The Case

The Caseback

Rolex Daytonas have plain steel casebacks that have no engravings. If the watch has a clear, skeletonized caseback or includes engravings on the metal, it’s a forged model.

Engravings

In addition to the engravings on the rehaut, the watch should also have engravings in the middle of both lugs. On one, the model number is displayed, and the serial number is displayed on the other. If these are not present or are poorly done with visible mistakes in the engraving, you have a fake on your hands.

The Crown

The Daytona was not just imagined as a racing watch, but also a watch that could be used for deep-sea diving. As such, there should be a trip-lock crown seal within the threads of the winding crown’s tube. The gasket is a black ring that’s visible when the winding crown is fully unscrewed. This seal protects the watch from being filled with water when submerged, and most fakes will not have a functioning one, if they have one at all.

The Bracelet

All Rolex Daytonas are outfitted with the Oyster bracelet and the Oysterclasp, which have a distinct look to them. If the watch you’re eyeing has a plain bracelet with a nondescript clasp, or if the clasp catches and is made of low-quality metal, then you’re looking at a fake.

Just about every woman, at some time in her life, owns a jewelry box. It might start off filled with juvenile pieces like clip-on earrings and fake pearls and then graduate to more mature pieces of better quality that maintain their value as the years stretch on. So how does one start a jewelry collection that’s worth anything down the road?

Here are five tips so you can start your own robust jewelry collection that speaks to your personal style.

1. Know the difference between designer jewelry and luxury jewelry.
When starting a collection, the first thing to take into consideration is that the word “worth” is relative, and that all collections must begin with your individual passions.

Second, learn to discern between designer and luxury jewelry. They might sound like the same thing, but in the jewelry and fashion world, the difference is significant. Designer jewelry tends to come in at broad price points that can cater to several markets, and its design is often swayed by popular trends. Designers operate on a season-by-season basis, so it’s not unusual for entirely new collections to pop up once or twice a year while last season’s material is sold at a discount. Designer goods are also usually delivered immediately, since there usually is very little customization involved.

Conversely, luxury goods come in at higher price points to maintain the long and expensive production process for each piece. Luxury brands rarely, if ever, stray from the classic motifs and designs that they have been making for decades, if not centuries. These designs tend to contribute to the overall branding of the larger company—as such, few variations upon the narrow product lines they produce become available. The prestige, then, that comes with luxury jewelry is the result of the brand’s long and storied history that is rooted in an esteemed country of manufacture and the brand’s unwavering dedication to the tenets of design that have made it great.

2. Invest in proper storage cases.
While some pieces of jewelry are considered very rare, there’s no reason to treat your items like they’re going to break if you handle them—but that doesn’t mean you should toss them on the kitchen counter alongside your lunch container after a long day’s work, either.

If you’re into designer jewelry pieces and find yourself creating collections from your favorite artisans, then chances are you actually wear the pieces you have instead of keeping them locked away. Invest in nice leather and fabric-lined jewelry cases that can easily be transported in a carry-on bag but can also protect your pieces from damage. If you find that you’re buying more high-end, luxury pieces of jewelry, our hope is that you’re storing them in either a safety deposit box, or a home safe that’s bolted into the floor or wall of your house.

3. Buy from the heart, as well as the head.
Jewelry was made to be worn, and there is no more offensive statement you can make to a designer than to buy a piece of their jewelry only to pack it away for safe keeping. Jewelry is an artform and wearing it should make you very happy.
When looking to add to your jewelry collection, find pieces that you know you’ll wear, even if it’s only on special occasions.

It’s important that you still fall in love with a luxury piece so that you don’t have regrets shortly after your purchase. And always consider pre-owned pieces, too; shopping pre-owned means you can save some money and avoid the shocking resale value drop-off that comes with taking a brand new piece out of the store. (To learn more about the benefits of shopping pre-owned, read our post on the topic here.)

4. Appraise and insure your pieces.
Remember that home safe mentioned above? Well, that won’t always be enough to cover the cost of your loss should your jewelry go missing or get damaged.

Make sure that if you’re buying an expensive piece of luxury jewelry, you have the piece appraised within the first week or two after your purchase. Once the piece has been assigned a replacement value, look into what your homeowner’s insurance will cover, or, look into a Jeweler’s Mutual plan that specializes in jewelry coverage. For your designer jewelry pieces, you’ll want to look at the replacement cost versus your deductible before deciding whether to add those pieces to your current insurance plan. However, if it doesn’t raise your premium that much, it’s worth the peace of mind of knowing they can be replaced.

5. Don’t just buy based on investment.
Let’s face it, there are buyers out there who only buy investment pieces of jewelry from auction houses, and only if the piece was owned by the wife of a former Grand Duke of Tuscany (or the like). Chances are that isn’t you, so it’s best not to enter a purchase with that mentality.

Besides, it’s hard to determine when something will fetch high or low, or what the cost of gold will be tomorrow, or how much platinum will be next week. Buying jewelry that you love—and this goes for both luxury jewelry or designer jewelry—should be a decision that is made based on taste, price, personal style, or love of gems, not whether you could fetch a pretty penny for something down the road.

Remember that diamonds are eternal and that gold has been around for thousands of years, so whatever piece you choose to add to your collection will likely become an heirloom for your family or another’s, and may forever carry your story for as long as it exists.

One wouldn’t expect an iconic fashion statement to have roots in construction work, and yet, for over 40 years now, Cartier’s utilitarian-inspired accessories—namely, the Love and the Juste un Clou collections—have reigned supreme. Aldo Cipullo, the luxury brand’s jewelry designer, was the genius behind the simple, iconic pieces.

Cipullo was not just a jewelry designer; he was an avid observer of the world around him, and he was so inspired by life’s minute details that he channeled his creativity into some of the most popular jewelry collections in history.

The Cartier Juste un Clou bracelet, the iconic Love bracelet’s younger and easier-to-remove sister, was inspired by the humble nail. Released in 1971, the bracelet was steadily in line with Cipullo’s minimalist, androgynous style and the designer’s professed love for all things nuts, bolts and screws.

In 2012, to commemorate Cartier’s 165^th anniversary, the brand opened an exhibit at the Cartier Maison on Fifth Avenue. The focal point of the exhibit was Cipullo’s work, set against a backdrop of New York City in the 1970s. To add to the glamor of the evening, Cartier released an entire collection based on the Juste un Clou bracelet.

The new Juste un Clou collection was comprised of rings and bracelets shaped like gracefully bent nails, like the original, but with a modern twist. They were made available in rose, white, and yellow gold, and some models were outfitted with pavé diamonds set into the “head” of the nail.

2017 saw Cartier expand the incredibly successful original collection to include earrings, cufflinks and a torque necklace. The most recent iterations are available in rose, white, and yellow gold. Some designs are available with pavé diamonds studding the entire piece, as well. In addition to that, the bracelet line has been updated to include thicker designs and a winding wrap design.

To read up on the history of Juste un Clou’s sister collection, Cartier Love, click here. If you’re interested more about the history of the brand in general, we have some fun facts for you here.