Guide: Panthère de Cartier, a revived success

Text: Britta Rossander

Panthère de Cartier was originally launched in 1983 and got its name from Jeanne Toussaint. Jeanne was a woman with the nickname the Panther who was Louis-François Cartier's right hand and design director between 1933 and 1970. In addition she was his mistress. Toussaint's nickname is said to have suited the bachelor lifestyle. And as a person she was marked by great independence and elegance. Eqotime’s Britta Rossander has looked more closely at the history behind Panthère de Cartier.

It was in January 2017 that the relaunch of the Panthère de Cartier took place. The first time it came, it was released under Must de Cartier and was marketed towards a glamorous 80s clientele. The success was a given and the model has been a classic ever since.

– I lived in the 16th arrondissement at that time. And when I went to buy bread in the morning I saw the elegant ladies wearing the Panthère. It was something people happily showed off, it was ”the it thing”, tells Pierre Raniero , Cartier’s Director of Image, Style, and Heritage at the relaunch.

Cartier

In the 1970s, Cartier was a completely different company than the luxury brand we now see. After Pierre Cartier's death in 1964, his two children and nephew wanted to sell the family company. As a result of this the company was split up into three semi-autonomous companies, Cartier New York, Cartier Paris and Cartier London. Three companies where each one produced different products at different times.

This created an uneven brand strategy. Back then Cartier was the ultimate luxury brand and up until the 1970s they had produced super exclusive, astronomically expensive goods of extremely high quality. When the business was later centralised, the new management decided that a common language was needed here. A language that would place the brand globally. Bags, pens and lighters were launched. The concept was to be universal and more accessible. The points of sale also became more numerous. For example the lighters were sold in fine tobacco shops in the great world metropolises. The purpose was to capture the spirit of the times and tempt consumers with ”must-have” accessories. In 1973 they therefore introduced the concept Les Must De Cartier.

Panthère de Cartier

The Panthère watches were launched in 1983, right in the middle of the worst yuppie era. It became an immediate success with its elegant design, hidden clasp and handsome link. It should also be pointed out that the Panthère was never a part of the Must de Cartier collection. Perhaps that was why it became such a hit. Both men and women fell head over heels for the model. Pierce Brosnan became a poster name and Keith Richards bought one that he just often. This was during Studio 54’s heyday and glamour meant everything.

The watch was launched to begin with in mini, small, medium and large sizes. To start with it only came in bicolore and yellow gold. The steel model came first in 1991. The Panthère was then phased out as a model in the early 2000s and left a gap in Cartier offering up until 2017.

-We saw children and grandchildren coming in with the watch for repair. They were wearing their older generation's watch and we saw that there was something there that we had to take care of, says Raniero.

The New Panthère

The New Panthère is a ladies' watch with a bit of a touch of the original Santos watch. It has a similar square case fastened with eight small screws. A classic white dial with elongated Roman numerals where the number ten has Cartier's special execution. The watch comes today in small (22 mm) and medium (27 mm) size and it is offered in rose gold, yellow gold, steel and bicolore. A number of other versions also exist where the model slides into the jewellery area.

Just as popular now as then

Panthère de Cartier is just as popular today as when it came in 1983. Back then it was a golden symbol of that decade's unadulterated glamour. In the film Wall Street in 1987, Charlie Sheen's ambitious money broker Bud Fox is upgraded when the money starts rolling in, from a Lorus with a quartz movement to a Cartier Panthère in yellow gold.  

The Panthère's status as an 80s icon is cemented. Everyone loved it. Madonna and Jane Fonda wore it and so did Dynasty's Alexis Carrington and Britt Ekland as well as Margaret Thatcher. And it still holds up today, Among other things it was seen on the wrist of First Lady Jill Biden when her husband was sworn in as president.

After the relaunch the Panthere has masses of new fans such as Dua Lipa and Bella Hadid, Sienna Miller and Sofia Coppola. Among Swedish influencers and celebrities too the model is popular. The watch has among other places been seen on the wrists of Bianca Ingrosso, Kenzas and Isabella Löwengrip. Quite clearly Panthère de Cartier is just as hot today as ever.