Kate Middleton

It is common knowledge among watch lovers that many important families choose Cartier timepieces. It comes then at no surprise that England's Kate Middleton has been seeing wearing her Cartier Ballon Bleu timepiece during her 2014 trip to Australia. Kate isn't the only person in the British royal family to wear Cartier. The Parisian watch and jewelry maker has been supplying the high-profile family with timepieces, jewelry, and accessories for generations. A few years ago I commented that American First Lady Michelle Obama also wears a Cartier timepiece.

In 1847 King Edward VII of the United Kingdom first called Cartier the "King of Jewelers and the Jeweler to Kings." The name stuck as an unofficial moniker describing the luxury house's arm that creates their most exclusive products. While people can enter into a store and purchase a $3,000 Cartier timepiece, the company is still involved in creating ultra-luxurious one-of-a-kind creations for their top clients. The British royal family, among others, have exclusive sets of jewelry produced for them by Cartier, that are often visible at various Cartier exhibitions around the world. Offering accessible luxury items as well as extremely exclusive ones is something that helps Cartier retain its strong market positions.

Women in the royal family have been seen wearing Cartier Tank watches in the past - which have either square or rectangular cases and are considered a bit more classic. The Ballon Bleu is a relatively recent creation from Cartier coming in a round case with a loop over the crown to create a more rounded, curvy shape. Middleton here is wearing a traditional brand considered suitable for her station, but the specific model represents her personality and more youthful position in life.

It appears that Middleton is wearing the Ballon Bleu de Cartier Medium sized watches with the Swiss quartz movement. Cartier produces the Ballon Bleu in a range of sizes and with different movements (including both quartz and mechanical versions). The Ballon Bleu Medium (ref. W69011Z4) is in this instance seen in steel and is sized at 36.6mm wide. That is just a touch larger than the size of the iconic Rolex Datejust. A generation ago 36mm wide was the size of a men's watch, but today 36mm wide watches are typically worn by women as men tend to wear larger watches sized at 40mm and above.

The particular Ballon Bleu de Cartier model she is wearing is a modest model in in the collection. It comes without any diamonds and the quartz movement is priced less than the automatic mechanical models. This is probably the correct decision as Kate tends not to be flashy in how she dresses, and yet the elegant timelessness of the watch and brand does suit her style overall.

In the image above, Kate Middleton is seen next to her husband Prince William, who happens to be wearing an Omega Seamaster 300M. In many ways his watch is equally situated as being timeless and stately, yet not flashy or extravagant. It is interesting to see how while each of them is wearing a different timepiece from a different brand, their respective watches communicate similar values about the wearer. The retail price of the Cartier Ballon Bleu Medium watch in steel with a quartz movement that Kate Middleton is wearing is $5,650.