Cartier Vendôme Bi-Plan 2220
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The Cartier Vendôme Bi-Plan is an Art Deco masterpiece with a surprise twist! Cartier never ceases to amaze us with its creative twists on iconic designs. The Cartier Vendôme was introduced in the 1970s as an homage to the famed Place Vendôme square where the flagship Cartier boutique is located. The Vendôme introduced a round case—quite uncommon for Cartier—and lacked the traditional vertical lugs that connect the case to the bracelet. The Vendôme Bi-Plan sports the same round case and introduces two horizontal lugs that connect to the leather strap. As a result, the watch looks like the double-decker planes from the early 1900s with two sets of wings parallel to one another, which, you guessed it, are also known as bi-planes! The placement of the horizontal bars that sandwich the round case gives the watch a cool Art Deco quality. Perfectly in line with Cartier’s luxurious roaring twenties aesthetic. These horizontal lugs are not merely a design affectation. If you look closely, you’ll notice that the lugs are not even connected to the watch case. That’s because they are, in fact, part of an ingenious mechanism that incorporates the deployant clasp in the caseback of the watch! In practice, this means that you open and close the bracelet by lifting up and pressing down the watch case. This gives a streamlined and unobstructed view of the luxurious alligator leather strap. This ref. 2220 Vendôme Bi-Plan is executed in 18k yellow gold and measures 32 mm in diameter. The dial features the classic Cartier lay-out: an ivory background with fine guilloché engraving, black painted Roman numerals and a pair of blued sword hands. The blue details on the handset, of course, match with the blue sapphire cabochon that tops the crown. This Cartier Vendôme Bi-Plan dates back to the 2010s and is powered by a manual winding movement. The watch has just returned from a full service at Cartier and comes with service papers, a new blakc alligator leather strap, and a Cartier service pouch.
Introduction
Cartier Louis-François Cartier took over his master’s jewellery workshop in 1847. Over the years, his sons and grandsons inherited the family business and expanded the brand by opening shops in New York and London. King Edward VII of the United Kingdom granted Cartier a prestigious royal warrant in 1904, calling the brand “the jeweller of kings and the king of jewellers.” Such was the renown of Cartier, that royal warrants soon rolled in from all over the world (among which, Belgium, Egypt, Greece, Siam, Spain, Portugal, and Russia). While Cartier is known primarily for its jewellery, it also has a storied history in watchmaking. Cartier’s first foray in watchmaking came in 1888, offering exclusively ladies models. In 1904, Louis Cartier gave his friend and Brazilian aviation pioneer Santos Dumont a watch to wear during his flights. Until then, wrist watches were worn exclusively by women and men opted for the traditional pocket watch. The ‘Santos-Dumont’ was not only the first wristwatch geared towards men but also the first pilot’s watch.
Specifications
- SKU 5971
- Bezel material
- Bracelet
- Caliber
- Case Dimensions
- Case Material
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Clasp
18k yellow-gold deployant clasp integrated in the caseback, original Cartier
- Dial
- Documents
- Glass
- Index
- Model
- Movement
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Reference
2220
- Year