3 IS A MAGIC NUMBER

Cartier gathers a constellation of stars and pulls out all the stops to commemorate a century of its iconic Trinity.

- COLIN GOMEZ

While it was a pleasant surprise and an honour to find the invite for the Cartier Trinity 100 celebrations plopped in my inbox, when your cognitive bandwidth is stretched by impending deadlines, it tends not to leave room for very much else. It was only as the date drew closer that the gravity of the event began to wade its way to the forefront of my consciousness.

I'd heard from Clémence, the Marketing and Communications Director for Cartier Malaysia (who is fantastically French), that this was going to be a big one-possibly the biggest party Cartier has thrown in the region to date. A tantalising possibility that I thought about in the car on the way to the airport and on the flight to Singapore.

GOOD THINGS COME IN THREES

The Trinity, to convey it understatedly, is a core component of Cartier's illustrious heritage. These iconic interconnected bands, distinguished by its yellow, rose, and white gold hues, are more than just the fashion statement that shook the world of haute joaillerie upon its introduction a whole century ago; it's Cartier's way of physically materialising the unity and magic inherent in the number three.

The smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number, the number three holds religious and cultural significance in many traditions around the world. Mathematical and metaphysical implications aside, the number three is also emblematic of the three brothers-Louis, Pierre, and Jacques-who were so instrumental in the transcendence of the brand in its earlier days, as well as a nod to the maison's three most historic boutiques located in London, Paris, and New York.