Ballon Bleu de Cartier
One of the elements we have found in the watch industry that continues to surprise and delight us is the level of inventiveness, creativity and whimsy that pops up where you least expect it. Sometimes this is found in the pieces themselves, sometimes in the events surrounding them, sometimes just in the amount of fun people are trying to bring into their lives.
The Ballon Bleu de Cartier books were designed by Jean-Luc Fromental and Michel Baverey
Cartier decided to launch their new wristwatch line with, of all things, comic books. More accurately, avante-garde comic book imagery brought forth with the premium feel that only they could provide. According to the illustrious luxury house, no Cartier object ever comes into existence without an accompanying legend. Their new watch, the Ballon Bleu de Cartier, brings forth its legend as viewed and conceptualized by seven of the brightest gems in contemporary comic book work. They were all challenged to create a story with each artist contributing his own part, a fragment of his own universe and of the Ballon Bleu legend itself.
Some of the artists have worked together before; Moebius for example published a manga with Jirô Taniguchi. Others have met for the first time. The result is an unusual and astounding compilation of ideas, designs and artistic minds, all brought together with one theme but all coming from and going to different directions and realities. Indeed, all are painting completely different realities in which we are immersed.
|
|
 FOR Ballon Bleu de Cartier Jean Giraud Moebius Born in 1938 in Fontenay-sous-Bois, France. Now lives and works in Montrouge, France.
|
|
|
 FOR Ballon Bleu de Cartier Glen Baxter Born in 1944 in Leeds, Great Britain. Now lives and works in London.
|
|
|
 FOR Ballon Bleu de Cartier Lorenzo MattotiBorn in 1954 in Brescia, Italy. Now lives and works in Paris.
|
|
|
 FOR Ballon Bleu de Cartier François SchuitenBorn in 1956 in Brussels, Belgium. Now lives and works in Brussels.
|
|
|
 FOR Ballon Bleu de Cartier Jirô TaniguchiBorn in 1947 in Tottori, Japan. Now lives and works in in Tokyo.
|
|
|
 FOR Ballon Bleu de Cartier Floc’hBorn in 1953 in Paris. Now lives and works in Paris.
|
|
|
 FOR Ballon Bleu de Cartier Charles BurnsBorn in 1955 in Washington, USA . Now lives and works in Philadelphia.
|
|
|
 The Ballon Bleu de Cartier watch, the reason for all the enchanting imagery, isn’t quite what it seems. It looks round, but it isn’t quite. The style is somewhere between classic and futuristic. The glass magnifies the dial numbers and seems to distort time. The Roman Numerals are displaced by the Ballon Bleu itself, the sapphire cabochon decorating the winding mechanism of the precious metal models.
|
