Haute Time Discusses New Cartiers With Marketing and Communications Director Arnaud Carrez

At Watches & Wonders, Cartier surprised us with not only the return of the Pasha but also with a mechanical version of the Santos Dumont. Time to discuss these new additions, and more, with Arnaud Carrez, Marketing and Communications Director at Cartier International.

Haute Time (HT): Cartier launched last year the Santos Dumont with a quartz movement and followed up this year with a version with a mechanical movement; how important is it to offer both types of movement, and do they serve a different clientele?

Arnaud Carrez (AC): Santos is one of the most iconic pieces of our design legacy and of watchmaking design in general. It truly is a collection that constantly inspires us to create new interpretations. In 2018, we relaunched Santos, and we presented the Santos-Dumont version with a quartz movement last year. This came as a surprise for our audiences and we received a lot of positive comments when these quartz models were released. At the same time, there was a demand for mechanical movements as well. Therefore, we responded with the new Santos-Dumont XL model which has the mechanical movement with the manual winding. It is larger than the current version of Santos, yet very elegant and more faithful to the original model created in 1904. Santos-Dumont XL does not replace the previous models, but it does complete the collection. We can draw a parallel with Tank: we have several interpretations of the model – Tank Américaine, Tank Française, Tank Louis Cartier, yet the collection is consistent from a design point of view.

HT: This year Cartier brings back the Pasha. What made you decide that it was time to revive this model?. What made you decide that it was time to revive this model?

AC: Following the successful relaunches of our iconic watches such as Panthère de Cartier in 2017, Santos de Cartier in 2018, and Baignoire in 2019, we felt it was now the perfect time to relaunch our distinctive and iconic round shape, Pasha de Cartier, which is one of our cult watches since its original launch in 1985. Also, there is a strong awareness of this model among our clients, especially in Europe, North American and Japan, who were keen on us offering a new version of Pasha. This watch resonates particularly well today, as the symbol of a generation who shares open-mindedness, connections, and positivity as their key drivers.

HT: This year Cartier launched its Watchmaking Encounters platform; what is your aim with this and how important is it for Cartier to communicate its novelties in such a way directly to its clients?

AC: In the absence of a physical watchmaking fair this year, it was very important for us to preserve our relationship with our audiences – clients, partners, journalists, and the general public. Therefore, for the first time ever, all our collections are presented on the Cartier Watchmaking Encounters website. Thanks to technology, we are able to stay close to our publics despite the current circumstances, which is key for us. The website offers a unique and immersive experience:, the pictures are directly inspired by the displays created for the physical fair, so that the visitors can feel as if they were actually experiencing Watches & Wonders. It will be interesting, and insightful, to see how our audiences welcome this new step.