The making of an icon: Rotonde de Cartier Panther watch

It’s impossible to think of Cartier without immediately picturing the brand’s iconic panther.

The beautiful cat stars in Christmas campaigns and billboards year-round, and is the brand’s most heavily featured and sought-after icon in its timepiece and jewellery collections.

The Rotonde de Cartier, Panther Décor Granulation is a stunning interpretation of the motif, created using thousands of pieces of gold. The granulation savoir-faire dates back to the 3rd millennium BC, but it wasn’t until the 8th century BC that Etruscan craftsmen brought the technique to the fore of the artistic world, using it to adorn jewellery and other precious objects.

Today, the Pegasus reel (circa 4th century BC) is one of the most famous pieces in existence and is on display in the Louvre. Cartier delves into the history of this savoir-faire and creates a timepiece that is rich in both heritage and beauty.

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This interpretation of the Rotonde de Cartier Panther is a celebration of the art of gold granulation. The craftsman spends about 40 hours hand-engraving the dial, while the process of creating, placing and fusing the gold granules onto the dial requires 320 hours.