Photos by Ed Rhee
Like participants assembling imaginary teams in fantasy sports, I often fantasize about what my dream team watch collection would look like if I had unlimited funds and unrestricted access. Depending on the season and my current state of mind, pieces come and go from my make-believe lineup but there’s almost always a Cartier high jewelry watch in there. I am fully aware that the majority of ABTW’s readership isn’t going to be as charmed by these bejeweled creations as I am, but I’m not shy to admit that I find it hard to resist animal-shaped jewelry pieces — morph that into a timepiece and just take all my imaginary money. Lucky for me, we went hands-on with one of the Maison‘s latest beast-inspired timepieces, the Cartier Crocodile Jewelry Métiers d’Art watch plucked from the menagerie of Animal Jewelry Watches released at Watches and Wonders 2024.
The 18k white gold sculptural crocodile coiled around the case has a mischievous expression like he’s just spotted his dinner or is smug about his territorial position. The scales, spikes, and silhouette of the reptile are executed flawlessly while diamonds render the the creature more sparkly than scary. The cabochon-cut emerald eye is surprisingly life-like and its intense gaze appears as it moves, scrutinizing its surroundings.
The 34.5 x 33.3mm, 12.6 mm-thick, 18k white gold case that the crocodile is clutching onto is decorated with a mosaic of diamonds, blue sapphires, white mother-of-pearl, and graded enameling. Enameling is one of the specialties of Cartier’s artisans at the Maison des Métiers d’Art in La-Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, and I can confirm that it looks spectacular in hand. Although real crocodiles can spend lengthy periods underwater, I certainly wouldn’t recommend doing the same with this 30-meter water-resistant Cartier jewelry watch.
The same pattern spreads to the dial, which is home to a pair of rhodiumized steel sword-shaped hands. Due to their small size and color, the hands do get lost and overwhelmed by the highly decorated background. But then again, I view this more as a jewelry piece that happens to tell the time if you need it, so I can understand the thought process behind not letting hand legibility obstruct the decorative aesthetics.
No surprises here but to power those hour and minute hands, the Cartier Crocodile Jewelry Métiers d’Art watch relies on a quartz movement. There’s no traditional winding crown as that would just get in the way of the watch’s design so time-setting is done via the solid caseback. The watch is accompanied by two straps, one in navy blue alligator leather and one in royal blue calfskin while the ardillon buckle is set with 23 diamonds totaling 0.10 carats. That’s in addition to the 341 brilliant-cut diamonds (3.05 carats), 53 brilliant-cut sapphires (0.54 carats), 22 mother-of-pearls, and one cabochon-cut emerald eyes (0.05 carats) on the case, dial, and crocodile.
Creative, whimsical, and absolutely gorgeous, I wouldn’t hesitate to draft the Cartier Crocodile Jewelry Métiers d’Art watch into my fantasy watch collection. The menacing crocodile, as seen here, on Ed’s wrist is a work of art, accompanied by an equally impressive case and dial. This is Cartier doing what Cartier does best. As is often the case, you must shell out the big bucks to secure the big players. In addition to this variant, Cartier has created other Crocodile Jewelry Métiers d’Art as well, with prices starting at $130,000 USD. For more information, please visit the Cartier website.
