Watch Paparazzi

Model Bella Hadid spotted wearing Cartier

Bella Hadid was photographed front-row — dressed in a Louis Vuitton monogram halter set and gold chain choker — with a Cartier Panthère de Cartier small size in 18k yellow gold on her wrist. The piece is immediately identifiable by its fully pavé-set dial and diamond-lined bezel, a configuration that pushes the watch firmly into high-jewellery territory rather than everyday horology.

The Panthère de Cartier debuted in 1983, designed by Jacqueline Karr, and became one of the defining luxury accessories of the 1980s. Its square case with rounded corners, articulated three-row bracelet integrating seamlessly into the lugs, and sapphire-set crown are architectural signatures of the reference. The small size measures 22mm × 30mm — deliberately proportioned for fine jewellery wear rather than legibility. The quartz movement inside is secondary to the object's identity; this is jewellery that tells time, not the reverse.

The version Hadid wears — full pavé dial with brilliant-cut diamond bezel in yellow gold — was part of Cartier's high-jewellery Panthère range produced before the model's temporary discontinuation in the early 2000s. When Cartier revived the Panthère in 2017–2018, full pavé configurations returned to the catalogue, but the earlier vintage references retain collector appeal for their slightly softer case finishing and period-correct proportions. The discontinued status referenced in the original caption places this piece in the pre-revival era.

Hadid's choice aligns with a broader shift among younger collectors and style figures toward 1980s and 1990s dress watches — particularly yellow gold pieces that read as deliberately retro against contemporary sportswear. The Panthère sits alongside the Tank and Baignoire as one of Cartier's most historically significant case shapes, and the pavé variant is among its most coveted configurations on the secondary market.

On the grey market, small-size yellow gold Panthère watches with full pavé dials and diamond bezels from this era trade in the €18,000–€25,000 range depending on condition, box, and papers. Cartier's own current-production equivalent — the Panthère de Cartier small model in yellow gold with diamond dial — retails significantly higher, underscoring the value proposition of pre-revival references for buyers who know what they are looking at.