While the watch world argued about Rolex, Cartier quietly had one of the best years in the business.
Richemont’s Cartier-led jewelry division just posted its seventh straight quarter of double-digit growth, up 24% at constant currency in the quarter through June. The whole group grew 20%. That’s not a fluke. It shows up on the resale side too. Bloomberg reported this week that Cartier is one of two brands “grabbing buyer attention” in a secondary market that’s clearly rebounding (Vacheron Constantin is the other).
The clearest proof point is the Roadster. Cartier discontinued it in 2012. Original examples used to sit forgotten at $3,000–$8,000. Cartier brought it back this year, and the relaunch landed so well that the Roadster’s own market index climbed over 25% in the past year, outpacing Cartier’s already-strong overall gain of nearly 19%.
That’s a masterclass I’d point to in any sales training: they didn’t chase a trend, they went into their own archive, picked a design people had forgotten they loved, and let patience and product do the selling.
WRITTEN BY JOHN MARCHIANDO — JUST WIND IT, NORTON SHORES, MICHIGAN