Pure lines and accuracy of shape are the two constraints that guide each Cartier creation. Because the Maison’s watchmakers see watch design as a comprehensive whole, they integrate the complexity of their technical developments into increasingly sophisticated, yet subtle, watch designs.
This year, Cartier presents three watches that clearly demonstrate this. Cartier displays time around the Tourbillon, with three ultra-stylish mechanisms illustrating this true classic of the watchmaking repertoire. Rotonde de Cartier Astromystérieux, Rotonde de Cartier Astrotourbillon, Rotonde de Cartier Skeleton Mysterious Double Tourbillon – each revealing how time is showcased through the architecture of a skeleton movement, the hypnotising mysterious model, or in the complexity of a Double Tourbillon.
At the centre of this vision are two complications dear to Cartier: the mysterious and the skeleton. Cartier’s mysterious movement appeared in 1912 on a clock called “Model A” whose completely transparent dial showcased two hands that appeared to be suspended in mid-air. An unprecedented innovation, perfected at the beginning of the 20th century by Maurice Couët, one of the Maison’s watchmakers. Inspired by the work of the illusionist Jean- Eugène Robert-Houdin, Maurice Couët perfected an exclusive system that was brought to life on this first clock.
It is this innovation, as complex as it is fascinating, that the Maison is pairing this year with an emblematic movement of Cartier Fine Watchmaking, the skeleton. Skeleton watches compose a unique family, a perfect match of form and content, case and movement. An ingenious construction, this entirely openwork watch showcases a movement whose bridges help to tell the time. Created in heavily protected workshops at the Cartier Manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds, these three creations reveal a singular dialogue between watchmaking virtuosity and exacting design. A fully fledged research and innovation laboratory, the Manufacture is a centre that serves creativity and is dedicated to enhancing tradition and grounding expert practices in modernity. Since 2001, all watchmaking professions have been based at this singular site, allowing for the creation of Cartier watches, from conception to production: cutting-edge technology works hand in hand with traditional, artisanal crafts.
ROTONDE DE CARTIER ASTROMYSTÉRIEUX WATCH
The watchmakers at the Cartier Manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds are turning the spotlight onto the Astromystérieux in an unprecedented interpretation which combines the Tourbillon with the mysterious, a source of expression for Cartier since 1912. The design is spectacular, displaying the entire movement floating in weightlessness. This watchmaking accomplishment is made all the more remarkable by the fact that the space dedicated to the hidden gears has been reduced to the bare minimum. The tourbillon carriage integrates not only the watch’s regulating organ but also the entire wheel train from the barrel to the balance which is all carried by a sapphire disc. The elongated carriage ensures the function of the minute hands and completes one revolution of the dial every hour. Amplified in this way, the visible trajectory of the movement evokes the path of a celestial object orbiting in space, like a star suspended in the void, with no apparent connection to the mechanism. Cartier associates one of its most classic watchmaking codes with this complication which is both fixed and mobile at the same time: Roman numerals. The winding crown is set with an aquamarine cabochon matching the colour of the alligator-skin strap.
ROTONDE DE CARTIER ASTROTOURBILLON WATCH
With the Rotonde de Cartier Astrotourbillon skeleton watch, Cartier explores a movement conceived and developed by the Maison’s master watchmakers in 2016 after five years of development at the Cartier Manufacture in La Chaux-de- Fonds in Switzerland. Today, Cartier places it at the centre of an ultra-graphic dial with a grey case back and silver-coloured transferred numerals. Due to its complex structure, the tourbillon lends itself to a play of geometry and transparency. This fascinating movement presents two major peculiarities that make it a unique tourbillon. First and foremost, the tourbillon carriage has a specific rotation axis situated at the centre of the movement. The design process was therefore totally different in comparison with that of the gear train, from the two barrels of the movement to the minutes and hours display. Secondly, this tourbillon carriage is positioned “above” the movement and not directly integrated into the movement, as is the case with a classic tourbillon. These precise mechanics form the basis of a signature aesthetic that takes its shape from the principles dictated by the Maison’s design vision: clean lines, radical design, and the importance of aesthetics. The entirely skeleton movement displays oversized Roman numerals, a Cartier signature, acting as bridges. The winding crown is set with an aventurine cabochon matching the colour of the alligator-skin strap.
ROTONDE DE CARTIER SKELETON MYSTERIOUS DOUBLE TOURBILLON WATCH
Fitted at the heart of the Rotonde Mysterious Double Tourbillon, this double flying organ appears to defy the universal laws of gravity. The magical mechanism of the mysterious double tourbillon stays true to the aesthetic of Cartier mysterious movements inherited from the mystery clocks first created in 1912. Unlike the classic tourbillon, the flying tourbillon has no upper bridge. It effects a complete rotation in 60 seconds and appears to be floating completely free in space, with no visible connection to any gear train. The illusion becomes even more striking when the same tourbillon carriage performs a second rotation, completing an orbit every five minutes. To create the illusion of a levitating carriage, the watchmakers at the Cartier Manufacture used a sapphire disc with a space cut out of it, matching the tourbillon’s dimensions to give the most flawless possible effect. An expression of virtuosity and style that Cartier has been mastering since 2013, when the first calibre of this genre appeared. Today, the watchmakers have moved it to the heart of an entirely skeletonised dial, whose XL Roman numerals structure the space. Stretched around the area left empty for the Mysterious Double Tourbillon, they allow the movement’s raw edges to peek through. The winding crown is set with a jade cabochon matching the colour of the alligator-skin strap.
THE BOX
Cartier has designed an extremely precious, lacquered wooden box for these three exceptional watches, celebrating a craft that is dear to Cartier: wood marquetry. On very fine pieces of wood in six different shades, the marquetry craftsman applies meticulous shading with an airbrush to create movement, depth and relief. The result is a gradation of green, blue and grey.
Once assembled, these tiny pieces of wood form a pattern made of three interlocking spirals. At the centre of each one, an optical lens reveals the dial of a watch. The result is astonishingly vibrant, between the movement of the design, the wood veining, and the chromatic gradation. The shade palette chosen is reminiscent of the watch straps. The wooden marquetry box also includes a travel pouch in alligator leather and a pair of white gold cufflinks with three interchangeable stone bars in sodalite, jade and blue
quartz. A prestigious and ultra-exclusive edition limited to 5 boxes.
