SIGNED CARTIER, BAIGNOIRE ALLONGÉE MODEL, REF. 2514, CASE NO. 120'561 AF, CIRCA 2002

Originally conceived for an important Russian client in 1912 but unnamed, the Cartier ‘Baignoire’ or ‘bathtub’ in French has remained a timeless and elegant icon for over a century. Although resembling a bathtub, the name actually refers to the shape of the exclusive sections of the grand Opera Houses that Cartier’s clientele frequented.

The ‘Baignoire’ shaped watch that is familiar today was not serially produced until 1957 and only christened ‘Baignoire’ in 1973. The Baignoire Allongée was not just simply an elongated and exaggerated variation of the standard Baignoire, but a transcendent and unusual piece of functional, wearable art.