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Cartier's Best Kept Secret (Part #1)
The deeper I dive into Collection Privée Cartier Paris (CPCP), the more I wonder if this was one of the most overlooked chapters in modern watchmaking. The more I research Cartier, the more I realize I had completely underestimated what they accomplished during the CPCP era.
For anyone who isn't familiar with it, CPCP stands for Collection Privée Cartier Paris.
Produced between 1998 and 2008, this wasn't just another Cartier collection, it was Cartier's return to its roots.
Instead of focusing on mass production, Cartier brought back many of its most iconic historical designs and paired them with beautifully finished mechanical movements. Produced in relatively small numbers and almost exclusively in precious metals, these watches were created for collectors who appreciated traditional watchmaking, timeless design, and exceptional craftsmanship.
What really caught my attention is that Cartier wasn't trying to reinvent itself. They were reminding the world what had made the brand legendary in the first place. Then I came across a name that kept showing up during my research...
Carole Forestier-Kasapi
I honestly don't think she gets nearly enough recognition.
For anyone who may not know her, Carole is one of the most respected movement designers of the modern era. She grew up in a watchmaking family, trained in Switzerland, won the prestigious Abraham-Louis Breguet Prize, worked at Audemars Piguet Renaud & Papi, and joined Cartier in 2005.
While CPCP had already laid the foundation, Carole helped transform Cartier from an incredible design house into one of the most technically ambitious manufactures in Switzerland.
During her time leading Cartier's movement development, the brand introduced an impressive series of innovative calibers and high complications that changed the way many collectors viewed Cartier. In 2012, Cartier received the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) Aiguille d'Or, the industry's highest honor, for the Rotonde de Cartier Astrotourbillon, a milestone that reflected the technical direction of the manufacture during her tenure.
In 2016, she left Cartier to become Head of Movement Creation at TAG Heuer, where she continued developing manufacture movements and technical innovations.
To me, that's one of the biggest reasons Cartier deserves more recognition today. Most people still associate the brand with incredible case design, Roman numerals, and blue cabochons.
But behind the scenes, there were some incredibly talented people quietly pushing Cartier into territory that many enthusiasts never expected. The deeper I went into the CPCP rabbit hole, the more I realized these weren't just beautiful Cartier cases.
Then I started looking at what was inside.
That's when everything changed.
Cartier wasn't simply buying generic movements and dropping them into beautiful watches.
They were collaborating with some of the greatest names in Swiss watchmaking.
We're talking about THA (François-Paul Journe, Denis Flageollet, and Vianney Halter), Piaget, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Frédéric Piguet, and Renaud & Papi.
When I started recognizing those names, I had one thought...
Wait a minute...this is serious watchmaking.
And that completely changed the way I looked at Cartier. Then I started noticing all the little details...
And that's when I realized these watches weren't expensive simply because they said Cartier on the dial. They were expensive because someone genuinely cared.
• Almost every CPCP model was crafted in yellow gold, rose gold, white gold, or platinum.
• The guilloché dials weren't there just for decoration—they had incredible depth and reflected light beautifully from every angle.
• Many featured the "Cartier Paris" signature instead of simply "Cartier," a small detail that collectors actively look for today.
• Sapphire exhibition case backs allowed owners to admire the movement instead of hiding it behind a solid back.
• Production numbers were relatively small compared to Cartier's mainstream collections, making many references surprisingly difficult to find today.
The more I looked at these details, the more I realized this wasn't simply Cartier making expensive watches. It felt like Cartier quietly building a collection for people who genuinely appreciated traditional watchmaking.
Then I found something that completely changed my perspective.
Some CPCP references even carried the Geneva Seal (Poinçon de Genève).
Now, before anyone jumps on me...
I'm not saying every CPCP watch received the Geneva Seal, because they didn't.
But the fact that Cartier pursued that level of finishing on selected references completely changed the way I looked at the brand. For a company that many collectors still think of primarily as a jewelry house... That's a pretty remarkable statement.
At that point, I stopped asking myself whether CPCP was underrated.
I started asking myself whether Cartier had quietly created one of the most impressive modern collections that many of us, including myself, had simply overlooked.
And then one final thought kept coming back to me...
Sometimes I wonder... if these exact same watches had "Patek Philippe," "Vacheron Constantin," or "A. Lange & Söhne" on the dial instead of Cartier, would we be having a completely different conversation today?
I'm not saying they're better.
I'm simply wondering whether the Cartier name has caused many collectors to overlook one of the most fascinating chapters in modern watchmaking. I'm still learning, and I'm sure I've missed some incredible references along the way.
I'd love to hear your thoughts. What was the first CPCP watch that made you stop and look twice?
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