Founded by Louis-François Cartier in Paris in 1847, the company remained under family control until 1964. Cartier is regarded as one of the most prestigious jewellery manufacturers in the world.
Designed by Louis Cartier, the Tank watch model was introduced in 1919 with a design PT inspired by the newly introduced tanks on the Western Front in World War I. In the early 1920s, Cartier formed a joint-stock company with Edward Jaeger (of Jaeger-LeCoultre) to produce movements solely for Cartier.
Cartier continued to use movements from other makers: Vacheron Constantin, Audemars Piguet, Movado and LeCoultre. It was also during this period that Cartier began adding its own reference numbers to the watches it sold, usually by stamping a four-digit code on the underside of a lug.
Jacques took charge of the London operations and eventually moved to the current address at New Bond Street.
Cartier on MrWatchMaster: