Cartier in the US and beyond

Abstract

One of the most revered names in jewelry, Cartier Monde (French for "World") is also the world's largest luxury jeweler, operating nearly 200 retail stores in over 125 countries. The centerpiece of Vendome Luxury Group PLC--the London-based luxury goods subsidiary of Compagnie Financiere de Richemont AG,--Cartier accounts for the lion's share of the Vendome group's annual sales, which reached US $2.38 billion in 1997, when Vendome last reported yearly results as a public company. CEO Bernard Fornas is currently at the helm of affairs at the company, which designs, manufactures and sells a wide range of jewelry, timepieces, leather goods and accessories.

The famed watch and jewelry House of Cartier, which has gradually evolved over time as one of the most recognized brands in the industry, was founded in 1847, when Louis-Francois Cartier opened a small jewelry store in Paris. In the early 1900s, Cartier expanded from its Paris base into London and New York; not long after, the luxury jeweler came calling in other foreign markets, particularly Russia and the United States. The brand went on to become the official jeweler of the Royal courts of England, Spain, Portugal, Russia, Siam, Greece, Serbia, Belgium, Romania, Egypt, Albania, Monaco and France's House of Orleans. Today it is a preferred brand for royalty, celebrities, and social elite worldwide. Cartier America has an established corporate headquarters at 645 Fifth Avenue, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10022, U.S.A.

Cartier history is marked early on by the introduction of watches still considered classic today? the Santos (1904), the Bagnoir (1912), the Tank (1919), and the Pasha (1932). A pioneer in European luxury watch making, Cartier is credited with the very first wristwatch. The well known watch termed 'Tank' was designed in tribute to American tank commanders who helped France in World War I. Over time, Cartier brought out designs for women and men alike.

Proud of its technical excellence, the brand upholds its reputation as a master watchmaker throughout the world. Whether mechanical or quartz, the components of each watch are produced with meticulous care, they are assembled in Cartier's Swiss workshops and subjected to very rigorous testing Certain high jewelry watches are fabulous one-of-a-kind masterpieces that require up to a year's work for manufacture. For all jewelry work it  maintains and encourages others to maintain the standards set by the Royal Jewelry Council (RJC).

Cartier USA Inc in New York, NY, a private company categorized under Jewelry Stores, employs a staff numbering between 250 and 499. Despite the repressive economic climate during much of the 1990s, including an extended U.S. and European recession in the early part of the decade and the collapse of much of the Asian market in the latter half of the decade, Cartier recorded steady growth. The luxury brand celebrated its 150-year anniversary in 1997.