Cartier's Decade-Long Leap: From Famed Jeweler to Dominant Force in the Watchmaking World

Synonymous with luxury and design, Cartier, the Paris-based jewelry behemoth, has ascended the ranks over the last five years to become one of the leading players in the Swiss-made watch market. According to estimates from Vontobel and Morgan Stanley, Cartier is the second biggest watch brand by sales. The watch division, although smaller compared to its jewellery counterpart, has witnessed an impressive growth of around 10% in 2025, breaching the CHF 3 billion mark from less than CHF 2 billion in 2019. Cartier’s success story doesn’t stop there. Even as industry players navigated the rough seas of the post-pandemic market changes, Cartier showed a remarkable capacity to outperform the competition. With a moderate average price of CHF 6,000 per watch, Cartier has consolidated its position among high-volume, established brands, providing high quality at an accessible price. This has endeared the brand especially to younger buyers. Cartier’s status among collectors and watch enthusiasts has also seen a significant upswing. On the secondary market, prices for Cartier models have risen by 8.6%, and auctions of vintage pieces have done even better, with a staggering total sales of $523 million in 2025, registering a 43% increase from the previous year. In a landmark event, an auction in Hong Kong saw a rare Cartier London Crash from 1987 fetch a whopping $2 million, setting a new record for a Cartier wristwatch sold at auction. Driving Cartier’s success is a robust strategy that counts on understanding market needs and trends, as revealed by Louis Ferla, CEO of Cartier, and Pierre Rainero, head of image, heritage, and style. However, Cartier isn’t just reacting to market trends; it’s actively shaping them through timeless designs intended to become icons in the industry. Proving this point, two of Cartier’s models, the Santos and the Tank, both over a century old, were rated by Morgan Stanley analysts as top iconic models in Swiss watches. By focusing on iconic, timeless designs rather than fleeting trends, Cartier has secured a firm footing in the watch industry, reminding us all that time irrevocably belongs to the timeless.