The panther has been part of Cartier’s story for over a century, but she’s never looked quite like this. With two sculpted heads facing off across bracelets, rings and necklaces, the latest Panthère de Cartier pieces are all about tension and symmetry, reasserting her place at the centre of the Maison’s mythology. The shape is strong, and the stare is even sharper.
It’s a powerful evolution for a creature whose journey began in 1914, as a flicker of spots on a diamond-and-onyx watch. That same year, she appeared again in a George Barbier illustration commissioned by Cartier, reclining across an invitation as if claiming the brand for herself. But it was under the visionary eye of Jeanne Toussaint — Cartier’s Creative Director from 1933, and affectionately known as “La Panthère” — that the feline figure became something sculptural, dominant, and defiant. In collaboration with designer Pierre Lemarchand, Toussaint reimagined the Panther as pure attitude on the body.
The new collection pays tribute to that legacy, capturing Cartier’s technical daring and emotional precision in equal measure. The head-to-head Panthers, rendered in yellow or white gold, lacquered or paved with diamonds and onyx, are fierce yet fluid. Their movement is engineered through a complex spring-and-blade mechanism hidden within their jaws. These pieces, whether wrapped around the wrist, draped across the collarbone, or flashing from the hand, are certain to leave an indelible mark.
What sets this Panther apart is its duality. Clean architectural lines contrast with wild, lifelike details, such as articulated limbs, snarling jaws, and laser-cut spots. This design honours Cartier’s naturalistic traditions while pushing them forward. And because Cartier never does a single-note collection, the feline figure extends her paws across multiple categories, from fluid torque necklaces to predatory rings, sculptural earrings, and timepieces.
In the Panthère de Cartier watch, the Panther seems mid-pounce, her paw caught in the act of halting time. Every spot, every contour, is engineered to animate her as if she might move at any moment. Cartier’s in-house “fur setting” technique makes this possible: tiny folded metal threads secure each diamond or onyx piece, rendering the Panther’s coat as tactile and detailed as nature intended. Others go cleaner, like the La Panthère de Cartier quartz timepieces in pink or yellow gold, with just two tsavorite garnet eyes watching time slip past.
Of course, this animal doesn’t stay caged within jewellery. The Panther’s spirit animates the Maison’s fragrances, leather goods, and accessories too: the new Panthère Double bags are sleek and structured, available in deep grape or black grained calfskin, some mini, some hobo-style, all finished with Cartier’s embossed claw signature. The Panthère C editions lean a little more classic, with a sharp top handle and sculptural form worthy of an heiress. Finally, there’s La Panthère Eau de Parfum. This floral gardenia-chypre blend has a soft musk undertone that develops from the initial floral notes.
She might have started as a muse, but over a century later, the Panthère is still the timeless icon she’s supposed to be.
Discover more about the Panthère de Cartier collection here.
photography. Jean Larivière (courtesy of Cartier)
words. Gennaro Costanzo
