The Maillon: Cartier’s Twist on the Feminine Bracelet

Cartier’s new feminine creation is undeniably a highly original reinterpretation of the men’s bracelet. Hyper-structured and incredibly stylish, the Maillon is a wristwatch both fascinating by its strong design and seductive by its smoothness.

By Chloé Redler

*The Maillon de Cartier is a perfect illustration of Cartier’s savoir-faire in the creation of shaped watches.*

Designed by the Cartier Watchmaking Studio, the Maillon – with its architectural design and direct lines – follows the tradition of the so-called “shaped” watches dear to the Maison. Inspired by the traditional gourmette, this instrument is a truetime-telling jewel. It is sculptural and arouse curiosity through the novel, highly graphic torsion the designers and engineers applied to its rectangular links. It took a year of research and thirty-five prototypes to rise to the challenge and perfect this timepiece. The idea was to merge the watch’s hexagonal case with its slightly offset links in order to keep a homogeneous whole, all the while ensuring flexibility and lightness on the wrist.

*Sculptural, the Maillon bracelet adopts a particular twist which allows its elements to create a new volume.*

*Cartier has designed a hexagonal case that fits perfectly with the aesthetic movement imprinted by the Maillon bracelet.*

Mission accomplished for Cartier, who made the Maillon available in five different hues, all animated by a Swiss Made quartz movement that plays on the three possible shades of gold and on the use of diamonds. The Maison also offers two limited editions: one in yellow gold, diamonds and black lacquer dial (50 pieces) and the other in white gold, diamonds, tsavorites green and blue lacquer (20 pieces).

*Pink gold, yellow gold, white gold, with or without diamonds, the Maillon de Cartier plays on precious materials.*

Two special editions in a limited series transform the Maillon into pieces of high jewelry: fifty pieces in yellow gold, diamonds and black lacquer dial or twenty pieces in white gold, diamonds, tsavorites and green and blue lacquer.

This polished yellow-gold edition is the purest of all, and also the one that remains most faithful to Cartier’s identity codes by combining a crown topped with a blue sapphire cabochon, black Roman numerals, and sword-shaped hands in blued steel.

*Sculptural, the Maillon in yellow gold.*

There is, however, a small detail that will not have escaped the more piercing eye: the Maillon is one of the very few watches of the Maison that does not conceal Cartier’s secret signature—which is traditionally hidden in one of the Roman numerals on the dial.

*On the Maillon de Cartier in white gold, the incomparable brilliance of the diamonds illuminates the rhythm of the bracelet*.

*Ultra feminine, the Maillon de Cartier is a real time-telling jewel.*

*Sublime, the pink gold version boasts a bezel set with diamonds.*

Both original and elegant, the Maillon is a pure masterpiece which carries a strong power of seduction. Moreover, this model is eligible to the Cartier Care program which includes exclusive services, and an eight-year-long international warranty.