STYLE Edit: New launch Cartier Tradition offers access to the jewellery and watchmaker’s most precious antique pieces, restored to perfection

As the saying goes – fashions may fade, but style is forever. For objects as precious as Cartier’s jewellery, watches, and clocks, forever is not just a euphemism. No matter when they were created, the brand’s historic and antique pieces remain just as captivating today as when they were first made – if not more so, given the weight of their history. Now, thanks to the new Cartier Tradition, collectors the world over can purchase a piece of that history for themselves.

Cartier Tradition is a new division of the company’s Art of Cartier Collection that researches, purchases and, if necessary, restores the dazzling creations from the brand’s illustrious history. The acquired pieces will then be offered to a select group of VIP clients at regular exhibitions held in just 15 of Cartier’s high jewellery boutiques around the world.

While antique Cartier pieces may already appear on the auction circuit or through dealers from time to time, the difference lies in the fact that only Cartier is able to guarantee the authenticity of each item. The maison’s prodigious archival records – supposedly the most complete surviving set of any major jeweller in the world – allows the brand to date each piece, find out where it was created and identify the exact metals and gems it is comprised of.

Given the expertise of its jewellers, Cartier is also able to guarantee that any heritage pieces will be restored to their correct specifications where necessary.

And if there’s one thing Cartier Tradition reminds us, it’s that even the jeweller’s newest pieces will eventually become an irreplaceable part of Cartier’s history and a treasured collector’s item in time.

Here’s a taster of just some of the precious antique pieces available through Cartier Tradition.