CARTIER
Elegance &
Excellence
In 2008, Cartier created its first piece mastered to the standards of the Geneva Seal with the Ballon Bleu Flying Tourbillon. This year, Cartier’s extensive investments in new factories and R&D have paid off with a series of new pieces centering on the continuation of exquisite finishing.
Case in point is the Santos 100 Skeleton featuring Cartier’s own 9611 MC calibre. The Santos 100 has always been an example of elegant sportiness but this new version presents a more sleek side to the Santos than has ever been seen before. Instead of the traditional wide background with imprinted numerals, this Santos has no dial at all and the indices are made in steel allowing a perfect view inside the machine at the 138 hand-finished components. Add to this a 46.5 x 54 mm oversized case made of 950 platinum for ultimate purity and you have a piece of purely historic proportions.A Cartier ‘C’ logo has even been used as the balance pointer to the movement, making it unmistakably Cartier.
The chronograph may be considered a relatively simple complication by all standards but few have found a way to make it even more mechanically superior than can be found in the new Rotonde de Cartier Central Chronograph. Whereas the traditional two or three sub-dial chronograph reading on other pieces relegated the complication to a secondary importance, Cartier’s version is front and centre in the middle of the dial. 272 components power this Geneva Hallmark-standard finished 9907 MC caliber Cartier movement. The 42mm pink gold is very beautiful, especially when accentuated with the bright blue crown.
Finally among the men’s collection, Cartier couldn’t go through a year without a flying tourbillon. These extracomplicated movements have been a highlight of one Cartier piece for each of the last few years and this year’s version is no less stunning having been fit to a Tank Américaine pink gold case fitting a 9452 MC Cartier movement with Geneva Sealcertified finishing. This ingenious movement has everything, even going so far as using the Cartier ‘C’ logo over the tourbillon cage as a seconds indicator. But while Cartier’s male models and self-designed movements are clearly making waves, no less important in Cartier’s heritage are the jewelry watch collections that have brought it acclaim the world over.
To add to the detailing, a Cartier ‘C’ logo has even been used as the balance pointer to the movement, making it unmistakably Cartier
Cartier is focusing on the Baignoire, a bracelet watch first developed in 1912 as one of the industry’s longest produced oval watches. At the time, the oval shape was unique in watch making. Over the years, the oval shape was fitted to other Cartier pieces before finally being christened with its current name in 1973. For 2009, Cartier is producing the Baignoire in both a large and a small model, partly as a tribute to its past but also to account for the growing demand for larger pieces among ladies. But with its soft shape and classic Roman numeral indices, it remains a testament to its originality.
The Baignoire comes in a number of references either with or without diamonds. The most elaborate version is the fully diamond-set large model with bracelet, dial and case in white gold. This is a very precious piece with 6.84 carats of beautifully- ut stones and maintains its classic technique with a manual winding mechanical movement.
Other less elaborate versions are also being presented for this year utiliz-ing pink gold, white gold, yellow gold and even canvas for those with a more casual persuasion. All in all, this Cartier collection represents the essence of what has made the brand so famous for the better part of two centuries. But with the increasing focus on in-house produced movements, it’s clear that better times are certainly ahead for Cartier.
