Cover Marie-Laure Cérède, Cartier’s creative director of jewellery and watches
Marie-Laure Cérède, Cartier’s creative director of jewellery and watches
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Cartier’s creative director of jewellery and watches Marie-Laure Cérède on the maison’s commitment to creating statement-making timepieces for discerning luxury consumers
There is no denying that in the world of haute horlogerie, Cartier is one of the most popular and prestigious names today. At the helm of the French luxury maison’s watch and jewellery departments is Marie-Laure Cérède, whose innovative approach to creating its masterpieces has in turn shaped the wider landscape of luxury watches.
Speaking to Tatler Singapore at the Watches and Wonders 2024 fair in Geneva, Switzerland, this April, Cérède offered insights into Cartier’s latest novelties, design philosophy, and the future of watchmaking
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Among its peers in the luxury watch world, Cartier has long stood out for its dual expertise in watch- and jewellery-making and Cérède is leveraging this unique position to create timepieces that defy these traditional categorisations. “We have a unique position in the watchmaking industry,” she explains. “We need to capitalise on it by merging our two expertises of watchmaking and jewellery by not forgetting that a watch has to be functional, while infusing jewellery expertise and techniques in the pieces.”
Above Marie-Laure Cérède, Cartier’s creative director of jewellery and watches
Marie-Laure Cérède, Cartier’s creative director of jewellery and watches
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This fusion is evident in some of Cartier’s latest creations launched at Watches and Wonders 2024, such as the Reflection de Cartier watch, which is worn as a cuff bangle on the wrist. On one end of the open bangle is a watch dial, and on the other is a polished reflective gold surface that mirrors the time. This creates a playful take on time, which on the mirror surface appears to move backwards. It is a perfect example of Cérède and Cartier’s approach to modern watchmaking—functional, yet unabashedly artistic.
“I am always wondering what we can do differently for ladies’ watches because, essentially, all watches are flat and really just a face on a leather strap,” says Cérède. “So I absolutely wanted to work on a three-dimensional piece—and volume was important for me. This led to my first inspiration to create a bangle in a three-dimensional form. Then we added the concept of two different but complementary arms of the bangle that face each other and respond to each other, because time is mirrored on the polished surface. And, of course, there is also the DNA of Cartier, which is a story of architecture, shape and volumes.
Above Cartier Reflection de Cartier watch in pink gold (left) and yellow gold (right)
Cartier Reflection de Cartier watch in pink gold (left) and yellow gold (right)
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This unique timepiece is one of Cérède’s ways of appealing to and creating watches for young, modern women. “Watches today don’t mean anything for ladies, in the sense that we all look at the time on our iPhones,” she says. “So we need to reinvent time.”
To do this, Cérède emphasises wearability and statement-making design. “It has to be a daily watch that’s easy to wear,” she says. “But it also has to be a statement of beauty. You need to say something with your watch. And that’s what we’re trying to do; we’re not afraid of creativity in order to give something special.”
This philosophy is reflected in Cartier’s focus on volume and ergonomics. Self-proclaimed “sculptors of shapes”, Cérède and her team spend considerable time perfecting the shape and feel of each piece, ensuring it sits comfortably on the wrist while making a bold visual impact.
Above Cartier Privé Tortue Monopoussoir Chronograph in yellow gold
Cartier Privé Tortue Monopoussoir Chronograph in yellow gold
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Reviving an Icon
Some of the most talked-about novelties from Cartier this year include the Tortue models launched as part of the Privé collection. The collection comprises creations that revisit some of the maison’s most important past designs and are reinterpreted for the modern collector. This time, the maison revived the Tortue watch from 1912 in two single-button chronograph complication models as well as three “hours/minutes” versions.
Cartier’s rich history provides a wellspring of inspiration, but Cérède is careful not to be constrained by it when approaching the Privé creations. “We need to master our heritage,” she explains, “but at one point when you design, you need to also break free and get your inspiration from everything else around you.”
For the 2024 Tortue models, Cérède and her team studied original pieces from 1929, seeking to capture their spirit as well as their hand-made feel using modern industrial processes. One way in which they achieved this was by maintaining the rounded edges of the watch, such as on the case and on the sapphire glass over the dial. “The curves are very subtle, but give the sensation of flatness without being flat,” she says. “When you touch the watch, it has a feeling of roundness, preciousness and it’s monobloc like one block of gold so it seems quite vintage and that’s what we try to achieve.”
Above Cartier Privé Tortue Monopoussoir Chronograph in platinum
Cartier Privé Tortue Monopoussoir Chronograph in platinum
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The creative director and her team also worked hard on making the lugs more ergonomic than the original. “It’s always a question of a tenth of a millimetre but it’s very important,” she quips. Further, the new Cartier Privé Tortue Monopoussoir Chronograph features a new movement, the manual winding 1928 MC, which was designed specially for the Tortue case. Measuring just 4.3 mm-thick, the movement is the maison’s thinnest chronograph. Together, this makes for a Privé collection that honours the brand’s heritage while meeting contemporary standards of watchmaking, comfort and wearability.
Looking ahead, Cérède believes innovation is key to Cartier’s continued success and remains committed to pushing boundaries while respecting the brand’s DNA. “We need to open different doors every time,” she says. “It’s important to us not to have the same recipe for success. What’s for certain is we’re always trying to find new ways and processes of industrialisation and new concepts. We’re working on many exciting things so I hope that you can be surprised next year too.”
Her vision for Cartier is clear: create timepieces that are not just beautiful, but meaningful and relevant to contemporary life. By blending heritage with innovation, and watchmaking expertise with jewellery artistry, Cartier is crafting a new language of luxury—one that speaks to a diverse, discerning clientele.
Credits
Images: Cartier
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Annabel Tan is the Editor of Watches and Jewellery at Tatler Singapore, where she covers all things luxury timepieces and fine jewellery across both print and digital platforms. She is also the Editor of Tatler GMT Singapore, a role that deepens her fascination with the ever-evolving world of watchmaking. Outside of work, she’s usually on the hunt for her next favourite watch that she can’t afford, planning her next beach getaway, or catching up on the latest Formula 1 race.
