
Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Cartier London Baignoire, 1966
- Maker / attribution
- Cartier (maker)
- Date
- 1966
- Historical period
- Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
- Country of origin
- France
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Materials / technique
- 18K Yellow-Gold
- Dimensions
- Diameter 25 mm
- Stock no.
- CUR191
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Watches of Knightsbridge (CUR191)
- Catalogue title (original)
- 1966 Cartier London Baignoire (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Watches of Knightsbridge (dealer), London (stock number CUR191), this is a wristwatch by Cartier, made in France, dated 1966. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: 18K Yellow-Gold. Recorded dimensions: Diameter 25 mm. The record is illustrated with 6 photographs.
Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.
Catalogue description
Dealer description — Watches of Knightsbridge
1966 ladies Cartier London Baignoire in 18k yellow gold. This watch features a manual wind Jaeger-LeCoultre movement, original dial, blued steel hands and rare original ruby crown. The case measures 25mm by 19mm and features London hallmarks, London stock numbers and sponsor’s mark JC (Jacques Cartier).
Specifications — Watches of Knightsbridge
Metal: 18K Yellow-Gold; Movement: Jaeger-LeCoultre Manual Wind; Case diameter: 25mm by 19mm; Bracelet/strap: Cartier Leather Strap w/ Original 18k Gold Deployment Clasp
Historical context
Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
Tool watches for divers, pilots and astronauts; electric watches anticipate the electronic age.
The classic era of the mechanical wristwatch: dive watches, chronographs for motor racing and space flight, GMT watches for jet travel, slim dress watches, automatic calendars, and the rise of Japanese manufacturers alongside Swiss, American, German and Soviet industries.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking
Atlas type guide
Wristwatches
Bracelet watches were worn by women from the early nineteenth century — Breguet made one for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, in 1810–12 — but the wristwatch only became a man's instrument with military use and aviation in the early twentieth century. Between the World Wars it overtook the pocket watch; the 1920s and 1930s brought rectangular Art Deco cases, water-resistant cases and the first automatic winding systems.
After 1945 the wristwatch became a carrier of identity — dress watches, sports and dive watches, chronographs, calendars — produced by Swiss, American, Japanese, German, Soviet and Chinese industries. The quartz revolution after 1969 and the mechanical renaissance since the 1990s, including the rise of independent watchmakers, complete the story.
What to look for
- The reference number (between the lugs or inside the case back) and serial number, the starting point for dating.
- The calibre: its maker and number are often stamped under the dial or on the bridge.
- Originality of dial, hands and crown — refinished ('redial') dials are common.
- Case material marks: 18K/750, 14K/585, stainless steel, gold-filled, plated.
Dating clues
- Wire-lug cases: before c. 1925.
- Water-resistant screw-down cases: from 1926.
- Quartz movements: from 1969; sapphire crystals widespread after c. 1980.
General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.
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