Cartier Ballon Bleu

The Parisian luxury jeweler and watchmaker Cartier is perhaps most famous for crafting rectangular timepieces, including the Santos and Tank. In 2007, the manufacturer introduced a range of round watches to their catalog with the Ballon Bleu. This collection contains everything from delicate, 28-mm women's models to extra-flat, 46-mm men's timepieces. Each watch has a crown capped by a domed sapphire or spinel cabochon. Most versions feature Roman numeral hour markers, while some have dials completely studded with diamonds.

Top models come in 18-karat gold and are fully encrusted in sparkling gems. One example is the ref. HPI00582, which boasts 1,640 brilliant-cut diamonds weighing a total of 12.64 carats on its dial, case, and bracelet. Inside this 42-mm timepiece, you'll find the automatic caliber 1847 powering the two tempered blue hands.

The Ballon Bleu with a tourbillon bears the reference number W6920105 and is the collection's watchmaking masterpiece. Cartier crafts its 39-mm case out of 18-karat white gold and outfits the bottom half of its dial with a prominent flying tourbillon. The tourbillon completes one full rotation every 60 seconds and, thus, doubles as a seconds display. Lastly, the beautiful guilloché dial is coated with a layer of translucent blue enamel.

Stainless steel editions serve as the entry point into the Ballon Bleu de Cartier collection. The women's models measure between 28 and 37 mm in diameter, with the 33-mm Cartier Ballon Bleu being a personal favorite of royal family member Kate Middleton. While her timepiece is powered by a precise quartz movement, Cartier also offers an automatic version of the same watch. Men's watches have cases ranging from 36 to 42 mm and come with your choice of a quartz or automatic movement. The Ballon Bleu de Cartier Carbon is a particularly sporty model thanks to its carbon-based ADLC coating. In addition to providing a sleek appearance, this coating also makes this watch especially robust and scratch-resistant.

Prices for a Ballon Bleu de Cartier range from about 2,700 USD for a stainless steel watch in good condition to almost 220,000 USD for diamond-covered models in white gold. Among the latter group, you'll find the ref. HPI01062, which has a white gold case adorned with 210 brilliant-cut diamonds weighing a total of 3.38 carats. Another 123 diamonds with a combined weight of 3.46 carats dot the dial. And it doesn't end there: The leather strap's 18-karat white gold double folding clasp glitters with 43 diamonds weighing another 0.42 carats. Cartier limited the HPI01062's production run to just 100 pieces.

If you're looking for something more affordable, you might prefer the ref. W4BB0017. This 36-mm stainless steel watch's bezel features 54 diamonds with a total weight of 0.79 carats. Inside the case, you'll find an automatic caliber ticking away. You can call this timepiece your own for around 11,500 USD new and 9,000 USD pre-owned.

The 33-mm ref. WJBB0033 feels especially feminine thanks to its 18-karat rose gold case, burgundy alligator leather strap, and bezel with 47 brilliant-cut diamonds totaling 0.68 carats. This timepiece is powered by an automatic caliber, meaning the movement winds itself as the wearer moves their arm. Plan to spend about 19,000 USD for a mint-condition version of this lavish women's watch. Listings on Chrono24 for pre-owned copies come in around 14,000 USD.

The most inexpensive men's and women's Ballon Bleu models are made of stainless steel. For example, a never-worn 28-mm ref. W69010Z4 with a quartz movement sells for about 4,700 USD. Pre-owned, this delicate watch changes hands for less than 2,900 USD. Its 33-mm counterpart with an automatic movement costs around 6,600 USD new and 5,000 USD pre-owned. You can find the 42-mm men's edition under the reference number W69012Z4. Prices for this watch range from around 5,400 to 6,800 USD, depending on its condition.

At 44 mm, the chronograph edition is one of the largest Cartier Ballon Bleu models and predominately intended as a men's watch. While its size is modern, its 18-karat rose gold case, signature Cartier Roman numerals, and brown alligator leather strap add a decidedly classic touch. The dial has a 30-minute counter at 3, small seconds at 6, and date display at 9 o'clock. It uses the in-house caliber 1904-CH2. This model requires an investment of around 24,000 USD new and 18,800 USD pre-owned.

The Ballon Bleu Extra-Flat embraces two extremes: It is both ultra-wide and ultra-flat. Its case measures 46 mm in diameter, which makes its stunning thinness of 7 mm feel even slimmer than it already is. This is all made possible by the manual caliber 430 MC. The rose gold edition (ref. W6920054) with two tempered blue hands and an alligator leather strap costs about 15,000 USD in mint condition and 12,500 USD as a pre-owned watch. The same dress watch in white gold (ref. W6920055) demands prices of between 9,500 and 13,500 USD, depending on its condition.

Black as Night With an ADLC Coating

Black wristwatches are enjoying their time in the spotlight. These sporty timekeepers have a distinct advantage over plain stainless steel watches, since their diamond-like carbon coatings are especially scratch-resistant. The Cartier Ballon Bleu ref. WSBB0015 is one such timepiece. With the exception of its Roman numerals and hands, this model is solid black. Its red second hand provides a nice splash of color.

The ref. WSBB0015 is also unique in that it is the only Ballon Bleu to feature glow-in-the-dark hour and minute hands, as Cartier outfits most of the collection's watches with tempered blue steel hands. The automatic in-house caliber 1847 MC ticks away inside the Ballon Bleu ADLC. A never-worn timepiece will set you back around 6,000 USD. At 3,800 USD, you can save quite a substantial amount by purchasing a pre-owned watch instead.

Cartier also offers the Ballon Bleu with a moon phase display. The 37-mm unisex model is available in stainless steel, rose gold, or white gold and comes with an automatic movement. The white gold edition has the reference number WJBB0028 and sparkles with 117 brilliant-cut diamonds on its bezel. Together, the gems weigh a total of 1.35 carats. Like its counterparts, this watch features a moon phase display at 9 o'clock. Cartier's signature Roman numerals work with a set of tempered blue hands to tell the time. A black alligator leather strap with an 18-karat white gold double folding clasp completes the look. Expect prices for new pieces to come in around 31,000 USD. Pre-owned watches are a rare find on Chrono24.

The rose gold version, the ref. WJBB0027, comes on a brown alligator leather strap that compliments the case wonderfully. You can find never-worn examples on Chrono24 for about 32,000 USD. The same watch on a rose gold link bracelet bears the reference number WJBB0025 and changes hands for roughly 48,000 USD new.

Stainless steel moon phase watches are much more affordable. The version on a stainless steel bracelet (ref. WSBB0021) sells for approximately 7,700 USD on Chrono24, while the model on a blue alligator leather strap demands around 7,100 USD. Both the gold and stainless steel editions are difficult to find in pre-owned condition.

The Ballon Bleu With a Tourbillon and GMT Function

Cartier introduced one of the most complicated members of the Ballon Bleu family in 2013. This gold watch combines a flying tourbillon at 6 o'clock with a dual-time function, which means it can display the time in two time zones simultaneously. Cartier achieves this using two separate hour dials at 2 and 10 o'clock.

The tourbillon improves the watch's accuracy and also serves as a small seconds hand, the tip of which Cartier decorates with a prominent "C." The hour dial at 2 o'clock features Cartier's classic Roman numerals, while the dial at 10 has Arabic numerals. The main dial is skeletonized and offers a clear view of the intricate manual caliber 9456 MC within. Thanks to a sapphire crystal case back, you can also observe the movement from below. The minute hand is the only central indicator, calling to mind a regulator-style watch. Cartier produced this complicated wristwatch in rose (ref. W6920045) and white gold (ref. W6920081). You can find these models on Chrono24 for approximately 112,000 USD and 89,000 USD, respectively.