When looking at Cartier watches, there are a variety of styles, such as rectangular, square, round, oval, etc., but I think the one that is most commonly associated with them is the Tank (rectangular).

Then, if you dig deeper into the tank again, you will come across the phrase "Oparan."

Here, we will explain what the word Opalan means.

What is Cartier's "Oparan" watch?

The word "Oparan" refers to the dial used on Cartier watches.

Compared to basic Roman index watches, the inner dial is circular and the Roman numerals are larger, which is a distinctive feature.

Please see the image below↓

The one on the left is the Opalan model and the one on the right is the standard model.

Both use the same Arabic numerals, but if you look closely at the design you'll see that there are subtle differences.

First, the Opalan has a circle in the center of the dial, with large Arabic numerals radiating out from it.

On the other hand, the standard model has a square central minute rail with Arabic numerals arranged along the square.

As you can see, Opalan designs are a little different from the norm and because they are so beautiful, everyone seeks them out and they are sold at high prices.

Now let's take a look at the history of Oparan's birth.

How did Oparan come about?

Cartier has a collection of watches called "Must de Cartier".

This model was created in the 1970s and is characterized by its low price.

Until then, Cartier watches had been equipped with mechanical movements, and the cases were made entirely of solid gold.

However, making it this way means that it has to be sold at a very high price, which limits the number of people who can afford it.

So Cartier decided to launch cheaper models to make the brand more accessible to a wider audience.

This was achieved by rethinking the materials.

In the 1970s, quartz movements produced by Seiko dominated the watch market, and their distinctive feature was that they were cheap to manufacture.

The case was also overhauled, replacing the solid gold used up until then with sterling silver (silver with a purity of 925/1000), which was then vermeil-plated with 18k gold to create a luxurious look.

By doing so, the price of making a single watch has dropped significantly, and the watches themselves can now be sold at low prices.

This is the "Must de Cartier Collection" and it takes place around the late 1970s.

At that time, dials with various patterns were developed, but the Opalan pattern did not exist in the early Must Do collection.

The Must Do collection was a long-selling model that was available until the 2000s, and various dials were created and added during that period.

Then, around the latter half of the 1980s, the "Oparan" was created as one of the additional dial variations.