Why are we drawn to "Cartier-esque" watches now? The magic of the square shape being reinterpreted by SEIKO and CITIZEN.

Hello.
I'm Ikeda, the manager of Watch Lab, and I'm having trouble working because the muscle pain from the rock festival I went to last weekend is still lingering.

Since I'm a beginner who just started using note yesterday, I'd be happy if you could get to know me a little.

Now, what I want to write about today is the topic of "Lately, Cartier-esque wristwatches are becoming popular, aren't they?"

This is because, with a momentum that could be called an unprecedented "Cartier revival," domestic brands like SEIKO and CITIZEN, as well as other micro-brands like MATOW and LCREA, are all releasing models, especially for women.

The culture of "sampling"

I felt that, socially speaking, retro booms happen periodically, like City Pop becoming popular in music, or recently, those Bonbon Drop stickers?

Could this Cartier boom be a kind of trend that goes beyond just that atmosphere?

Comparing it to the music I like, I thought the wristwatch industry is doing something close to "sampling." (To put it simply, "sampling" is a technique where you take a phrase from a classic song from the past and reconstruct it over a new beat.)

I get the feeling that they are sampling the Cartier-style design, which was perfected over 100 years ago, and remaking it to fit modern technology and trends.

Why are square watches popular?

In my opinion, Cartier's design, especially the combination of a vertically long case like the Tank and intellectual Roman numerals, has a retro feel that round wristwatches don't have.

This is because round watches inevitably end up having a "THE watch" or "tool-like" feel. In contrast, square watches feel somewhat closer to "jewelry" or "accessories." That is my impression.

With the tailwind of the vintage boom, the Cartier design, which is close to "jewelry" or "accessories," is now appearing fresh to our eyes again as an "old yet new" design.

That is why I think brands, even when making lower-priced wristwatches, decided that rather than using trial and error on round designs, they could create "watches that look expensive" by paying homage to the existing "Cartier design."

Differentiation through price

No matter how much they pay homage to the design, if they sell it at the same price as the original, no one will look at it.
But what if you could buy a similar design for 20,000 to 30,000 yen?

Moreover, high-end watches like Cartier cost tens of thousands of yen just for maintenance. However, with inexpensive domestic watches, battery replacements and repairs can be done easily and cheaply at a local watch shop or a shop like ours.

Actual examples of sampling

So, from here on, I would like to introduce some "Cartier-esque watches."
(You can check the products by clicking on the photos)

SEIKO

SSEH015 / SSEH016 / SSEH017 / SSEH018

Santos-style quartz. Women's models.
Of course, if you look closely, there are many areas where they don't quite reach the level of the original, but they feature a well-balanced dial design while being extremely thin. The metal bracelet models also have a "typically Japanese" stylish color scheme for the center links.

SSEH019 / SSEH020

This is the men's model.
The design leans heavily into a vintage aesthetic, and while it is larger, it remains sleek. Like other quartz models, its thinness is a key reason for its popularity.

CITIZEN

EG2799-18W / EG2797-13A / EG2790-12A

This is a reissue of a model manufactured in 2012. Trends really do come back around, don't they?
Personally, I think Citizen is very good at designing women's watches, and the balance between the dial, case, and strap here is incredibly well-executed; I was impressed by how well they understand what Japanese women like.
Also, true to their promotion of Eco-Drive, the movement is solar-powered. They have solved the concerns of women who think, "Antique watches are cute, but they stop easily and I'm worried about maintenance," in a way only a Japanese manufacturer could.

MATOW

MW004003 / MW004004 / MW004005 / MW004007 / MW004010

This is also an homage watch from the domestic brand "MATOW".
It is a model that samples the crown and dial design for the Japanese market.
Because the dial is larger than other brands, it is characterized by being practical, easy to read, and easy to use.
With a wide variety of colors and designs, it is a popular model for those who say, "I want a popular design, but I don't want to wear the same thing as others."

MW004001 / MW004002 / MW004006 / MW004008 / MW004009
These are the metal mesh models.
These models are easy to wear all year round, and the ones that make extensive use of pink gold offer a more feminine and 'cute' impression rather than a luxurious one.

In conclusion

Looking at it this way, I am once again impressed by Cartier, not only for their design prowess in releasing original designs that could be called the 'golden ratio,' but also by how domestic brands have sampled Cartier's perfected designs in their own unique way.

If you are interested in affordable, highly designed retro watches, please be sure to take a look at our shop.

See you next time.

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