Cartier · Ballon Bleu de Cartier and Panthere de Cartier
Cartier WSBB0044 vs Cartier WSPN0012
7 published specifications differ between these two, and 2 are identical. Every figure below is what the manufacturer states for that reference; nothing is inferred from the other watch.
What differs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Case | Steel case, 33 mm | Steel case and bracelet, mini model, case dimensions 25 mm x 19 mm |
| Thickness | 10.16 mm | 6 mm |
| Dial | Silver guilloche, with blued-steel sword-shaped hands | Silver, with blued-steel sword-shaped hands |
| Crown | Fluted crown set with a cabochon synthetic spinel | Octagonal crown set with a blue synthetic spinel |
| Bracelet | Steel interchangeable bracelet | Steel, integrated with the case |
| Movement | Mechanical movement with automatic winding | Quartz movement |
| Movement notes | Cartier names no calibre for this reference and publishes no power reserve, lug width or accuracy figure. | Cartier names no calibre for this reference and publishes no battery life or accuracy figure. |
What is identical
Worth knowing as much as the differences: these are the specifications you cannot use to tell the two apart.
- Water resistance
- Water-resistant up to 3 bar (approx. 30 meters/100 feet)
- Crystal
- Sapphire crystal
Stated for one, not the other
These rows cannot be compared, because one maker publishes the figure and the other does not. An empty cell is a gap in the manufacturer's documentation, not a gap in the watch — and not a licence to fill it in from the other column.
| Diameter | 33 mm | not stated |
|---|
What the differences cost you
Each note below follows from the published figures in the tables above — what they mean for intake, for a listing, and for the handover. Nothing here estimates a price or a margin.
A visible difference in how they wear
4.2 mm of thickness separates these, with the WSBB0044 the taller at 10.2 mm. That is the difference between a watch that goes under a cuff and one that catches on it — worth a photograph from the side rather than a number in a table.
Two different ownership conversations
The WSBB0044 is self-winding and the WSPN0012 is quartz. That changes what a buyer needs telling at handover, and it changes intake: a hand-wound watch has no rotor to mask a tired mainspring, and a stopped quartz watch is usually a battery rather than a fault.
What to check on each
WSBB0044
- Quote the thickness alongside the diameter. At 10.16 mm on a 33 mm case this is tall for its width, which is how a Ballon Bleu actually wears.
- Work the crown and the guard around it. The protective arc over the crown is the design signature of this model and a knock that has bent it is both visible and awkward to correct.
- Examine the guilloche dial across its whole surface at several angles, because a machined pattern records moisture and handling far more readily than a flat dial.
WSPN0012
- Assess the bracelet before the case. Cartier specifies the case and bracelet together on this reference, the links are small and numerous, and a stretched or repaired bracelet is most of the watch.
- Count the links and ask where any removed ones are. A Panthere sized down for a small wrist cannot be lengthened again without the original links.
- Check each link for splay at the pins under a loupe, since at this scale wear that would be invisible on a sports bracelet shows as a visible kink.
Sources
- Cartier official product page for reference WSBB0044 (Ballon Bleu de Cartier, 33 mm, steel) - Ballon Bleu de Cartier watch; 33 mm; Mechanical movement with automatic winding; Steel case; Fluted crown set with a cabochon synthetic spinel; Silver guilloche dial; Blued-steel sword-shaped hands; Sapphire crystal; Steel interchangeable bracelet; Thickness: 10.16 mm; Water-resistant up to 3 bar (approx. 30 meters/100 feet). No caliber number, power reserve or lug width is published on this page — retrieved 2026-09-23
- Cartier official product page for reference WSPN0012 (Panthere de Cartier, mini model, steel) - Panthere de Cartier watch; Mini model; Quartz movement; Steel case and bracelet; Octagonal crown set with a blue synthetic spinel; Silver dial; Blued-steel sword-shaped hands; Sapphire crystal; Case dimensions: 25 mm x 19 mm; Thickness: 6 mm; Water-resistant up to 3 bar (approx. 30 meters/100 feet). No caliber number or power reserve is published on this page — retrieved 2026-09-23
Not affiliated with Cartier. Specifications are read from each manufacturer's own published documentation on the dates shown and may change; the manufacturer's current documentation governs.