Cartier’s Ballon Bleu is An Icon of Smoothness

Time, Editor's Pick

Cartier’s Ballon Bleu is An Icon of Smoothness

By Asaph Low
May 27, 2021

Designing and creating icons out of everyday shapes and inconspicuous objects is an art form that French jeweller Cartier has mastered. Cartier’s Culture of Design governs four creation principles — purity of the line, accuracy of the shape, precision of proportions, precious details — that made the Tank, Trinity, Juste un Clou, Santos, Love, Panthère and Ballon Bleu instantly recognisable.

Launched during Watches and Wonders 2021 is the updated Bleu de Cartier.

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The humble pebble is the unlikely source of inspiration for Cartier designers as they conceived the Ballon Bleu. Equipped with a vision of roundness and by adding volume to a circle, it resulted in a doubly convex shape that is unmistakably the form of the Cartier Ballon Bleu.

The move to integrate the blue bubble sapphire crystal crown into the case under a metal hoop proved to be a masterstroke as it retains an elegant smoothness throughout the entire watch without breaking any lines.

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Since the Ballon Bleu’s inception in 2007, it has never been offered in a 40mm diameter until this year in Cartier’s Watches and Wonders 2021 novelty lineup. Many have considered 40mm to be the ideal size for the proportion it brings to watches and the versatility to fit most wrist sizes. The subtle tweak will see Cartier’s vision for the Ballon Bleu elevated to new heights of elegance with a more discreet package while retaining its iconic design codes such as the roman numerals, railway track and blue bubble crown.

Eagle-eyed fans will be quick to spot the date aperture on the 40mm version as well (only the 42mm is the other size that offers a date), brought about by Cartier’s in-house 1847 MC automatic calibre.

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Another big update to the Ballon Bleu is the introduction of Cartier’s strap interchangeability system designed for owners of the watch to remove and switch steel bracelets or leather straps on their own. As part of Cartier’s new 40mm collection are three iterations — stainless steel, 18K pink gold or 18K pink gold with diamond-set bezel — each offered in either steel bracelet or leather straps.