Three years I started an association with Dover Street Market, the cutting edge fashion emporium started by the brilliant and innovative Rei Kawakubo.
With them, I have held vintage Cartier watch exhibitions in Tokyo, Singapore & Los Angeles. It’s an odd tie-up but that’s what initially intrigued me. How would small, elegant Cartier wristwatches stand up against the most radical and, in some cases, eccentric clothing of the 21st Century? Everything screamed ’clash’ but the Comme des Garçon team headed, for this project, by Mimi Hoppen were up for the challenge. Madame Kawakubo curated the installation fo the Tokyo show herself; all daring, bright red Perspex boxes. Opening night was jammed and within a short time, we had made our first sale. This trend repeated itself in Singapore and LA. The Cartier watches, some 100 years old, held their own. Their charm, character and elegance entranced a great number of people and it was a very rewarding experience. This article is a good example of the reaction we received. These Cartier watches first produced the 1920s as both objects of beauty but also examples of modern technology, have been consistently worn by the great and the good (and probably some bad) ever since. That they could shine in this extremely modern environment is a testament to their creator, Louis Cartier. Today, Cartier continues to make many of these watches, the designs unchanged with the passing years. They are the all-time, great classics of men’s watch design.
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