Cartier 'La Doña de Cartier'

Cartier La Doña de Cartier: A Watch Named After a Legend

La Doña takes its name from María Félix, the Mexican film star known across Latin America simply as La Doña. Félix was one of Cartier's most daring private clients, commissioning pieces the maison had never made before, most famously the 1975 necklace of two articulated crocodiles set with emeralds and yellow diamonds. When Cartier created a watch in her honour, it built it around her taste for bold, sculptural forms.

The result sits closer to jewellery than to a conventional watch. The trapezoid case with its curved profile has no real counterpart anywhere else in the Cartier catalogue. It is also one of very few Cartier watches named after a person, alongside the Santos, which Louis Cartier designed for the aviator Alberto Santos Dumont. That is quite the company to keep.

Design
Crafted in 18k yellow gold, this example carries the factory diamond set bezel, which follows the curve of the case and frames the silver dial in one continuous line of stones. It brings the watch closer still to the high jewellery pieces Félix herself commissioned. The matching 18k yellow gold bracelet completes the look.

Provenance & Condition
This example comes with plenty of extra links and a Cartier service pouch. The original box and papers are no longer with the watch.

The Cartier La Doña: in our opinion, one of the most striking gold watches Cartier ever made, and a true statement on the wrist.

Interested, or have questions about this piece? Send us a DM, we're happy to share more photos, condition notes, or full provenance details.

Brand: Cartier
Model: La Doña de Cartier
Reference: 2836
Bracelet: 18k yellow gold, extra links included
Dial: Silver
Case: 18k yellow gold, diamond set bezel
Dimensions: 27 x 28mm
Box: no (Cartier service pouch)
Paperwork: no