The Collection Privée marks an interesting transition in Cartier’s history. From the 1960s onwards, as the brand commercialised its operations and pivoted towards the mass market, many would argue that it compromised its reputation as a true watchmaker and neglected many of its iconic designs. In 1998, the brand once again chose to focus on their heritage, recreating some of their most distinctive pieces, powered by high-quality manual-winding movements. The decade long run of the Collection Privée embodied that spirit, to the pleasure of a few select clients at the time, who saw value in what the French jeweller was doing.