Yang Ying

Last year the singer and actor Lu Han was made the face of Cartier's Juste un Clou, a collection that celebrates "assertiveness, free-spirit and affirmation of own individual styles".

Within 24 hours of a campaign video featuring Lu appearing online it was said to have drawn in 100 million pairs of eyes through Weibo, the Chinese Twitter-like service.

Instead of simply selecting celebrities, Cartier China says it prefers to take a more organic approach.

"We don't just select celebrities," says Renaud Litre, CEO of Cartier China. "We prefer to get to know personalities, talented artists and establish longtime friendships with them."

Long before Cartier and Lu consummated their relationship, Lu had spoken favorably about the brand on social media, and that was the genesis of the formal partnership, Litre says.

"Lu Han transcends generations. He is passionate about what he does; he surpasses himself; and he is confident in what he is. He is the perfect match with the Juste un Clou spirit."

"As a luxury maison we expected the association to be surprising and questioning ... How free-minded are you?" Litre says.