Cartier Ronde Louis Cartier

Ronde Louis Cartier is a line of round, classic Cartier watches. The house is better known for geometric shapes, but here the basis is a pure circle, referring to the pocket watches and early wristwatches of the early 20th century. Classic models have dials in the house style — Roman numerals, a ‘railway’ minute track and blued steel hands — and the beaded crown is topped with a sapphire cabochon. Cases are made of precious metals: pink, white and yellow gold, and platinum.

The line has two characters. The classic models are thin dress watches; the thinnest of them use hand-wound movements and slip easily under a shirt cuff. The jewellery versions are pieces of jewellery in their own right. One example is the women's Métiers d'Art model Révélation D'une Panthère in pink gold, with diamonds on the bezel and crown and a black dial with a panther silhouette in gold granulation.

The choice starts with the character, then the metal and size. Pink and yellow gold are the warm options; white gold and platinum look more restrained. If you are comparing the Ronde Louis with the Tank, those models are collected on the Cartier Tank page.