Cartier Ballon Bleu – Reviewing Cartier’s Most Popular Ladies Watch

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In this video, we take a detailed look at Cartier’s two-tone Ballon Bleu watch and break down its unique characteristics. The Ballon Bleu, is possibly the most popular watch Cartier has on offer, overshadowed only by the Tank. Let’s examine the details and features of this premium watch and help you to decide if it’s the right choice for you.

Initial Presentation

The watch is delivered in the trademarked Cartier scarlet box with gold embossing around the edges, however the casing immediately felt slightly different from the Cartier jewelry box. When you open the box, you are greeted by the Ballon Bleu sitting on a soft pillow made of white satin.

This particular Ballon Bleu is a two-tone 36mm with mechanical movement. As it’s not quartz movement, it requires slightly more maintenance when you wear it as you have to manually wind the watch, a detail which will appeal to authentic watch lovers, allowing you to have a genuine moment with the mechanics of the watch.

Ballon Bleu De Cartier Variety

Cartier’s Ballon Bleu line up has various sizes, starting with the smallest size, which is 28mm quartz and retails for $4,650 USD excluding taxes. This is followed by size 33mm, size 36mm and going up to size 40mm and 42mm. There is also an option of the higher end Ballon Blanc which has a slightly different design. For once, the crown is located near the 4 o’clock mark instead of the usual position at 3 o’clock, and as the name indicates, the usually blue sapphire set in the crown is replaced by a white diamond. The Ballon Blanc has two sizes offered 26mm and 30mm and retails starting from $8,500 USD before taxes. The design of the bezel is a little different from the Ballon Bleu and the overall construction feels somewhat more elegant and traditional given that it’s made for a more petite frame.

Ballon Bleu 2-Tone In Detail

I chose the 36mm Ballon Bleu two tone for today’s demonstration as we felt it would be the best fit for our wrist. It has a double fold deployant clasp for ease of opening, and once it’s on your wrist you can pull away the top part for a simple removal. We adjusted the links to our wrist size for a perfect fit. The links of the watch are made of traditional steel and yellow gold creating a mixed two-tone look, which feels younger than the traditional stainless steel. Personally, we adore the two-tone look, as the pop of gold color amongst the links reflects light differently and elevates the overall look. However, if you are looking for a more practical piece, perhaps full stainless steel would be the better choice for you.

The watch face has a traditional round dial, which adds to the classic elegance of the piece. It is covered by a dome shaped crystal, which at a certain angle seems to make the dial itself disappear. The crystal dome has the benefit of slightly magnifying the dial, making everything on the watch face easier and clearer to read.

The pattern on the watch face is a silver guilloche opaline which is a very intricate technique used to create a truly exquisite dial. All the branding and Roman Numerals on the dial are not engraved but printed in intricate detail, exemplifying the true quality of Cartier’s craftsmanship. The Cartier trademark itself is printed in minute lettering on the seven o’clock mark so subtly that it would be easy to miss. The iconic sword-shaped hands of the watch have a beautiful blue steel color tone. The feature piece of the Ballon Bleu however, is the crown located at the 3 o’clock mark of the watch rim, made from fluted 18 karat gold and set with a blue sapphire. According to Cartier, Ballon Blue is adding a dash of elegance to the wrist of male and female wearers alike.

The outer side of the watch bracelet has a polished appearance but on the inside it has more of a matt finish. On the back of the watch, all the information about the brand model, and other specifics have been engraved, a feature specific to all genuine time pieces. Engravings can be found throughout the watch including behind parts of the stainless-steel.

Conclusion

I feel that the 36mm version of the Ballon Bleu was slightly too big for my wrist, but as I like to wear all my jewelry stacked together, I tried pairing the watch with a few bracelets. That wasn’t ideal as the watch covered my Love bracelet, and overall, I’d prefer to wear the watch as a statement piece by itself on my other wrist. Upon close examination of this watch I believe it to be a piece that exudes luxury, intricate detailing, and superior craftmanship. The Ballon Bleu is in the Top 3 of the most popular Cartier watches for women, if not the most popular. Because there are so many different versions regarding size and metal color, it is easy to find the right piece for every wrist size and skin complexion. When it comes to adding something new from Cartier other than the usual bracelets, the Ballon Bleu is worth a close look.

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My Current Everyday Jewelry Stack:

   ➤   Cartier LOVE Bracelet

   ➤   Cartier Juste Un Clou Bracelet

   ➤   VanCleef&Arpels Vintage Alhambra Necklace

   ➤   Cartier LOVE Ring