Cartier

But when I saw the movement, I was a bit disappointed...  The movement decoration was neither here nor there, or what the urban dictionary would describe as "blah" or blasé.  No Anglage, dry looking finishing, obviously industrial-looking.   Make no mistake, this watch gets an A-Grade for aesthetics...  But as Foversta stated, the movement really doesn't justify a sapphire case back.  

Then, I was told the proposed price.  20,000 Euros for a beautiful men's rose gold watch on a leather strap with this blasé movement!  Where's my Patek Philippe Calatrava?  Patek Philippe 5127 or 5296 for only a few thousand Euros more is a good bargain when compared with the new Cartier Clé!  

In the models that I handled at SIHH, which were functional models but still possibly prototypes, the haptic feeling of the crown did leave something to be desired.  The feel reminded me of a poorly executed Lexus-car Electronic Steering Rack; lifeless, without weight, and not very communicative.  

In retrospect, like popular music...  Cartier's Clé will be popular among the masses.  Many say popular musicians today are "manufactured" to fit a genre and a market niche.  Record companies assemble good looking men or women together, hire a writer to write songs that fit the market, and force their contracted singers to sing...  The Cartier Clé is a good fit for the market.  

This Cartier Clé was initially catchy, and I might've even been "captured" by it...  but like the mistakes of youth, I would feel that it's a choice of the uninformed, a sheep following popular culture, someone who only listens to popular music with no understanding of music history, culture, and appreciation.  

By the way, we all know by now the word clé means key, as in key in the lock...  

In conclusion, (*cliché warning*) the Cartier Clé does not have a key to my heart .  It's fantastic aesthetics with a leather band capture your eyes, but its inner beauty is a let down because it's practically non-existent.  When boys are young, they date the pretty girls even if they haven't got the brains inside...  But when the boys become men, they date women with internal and external beauty, and sadly this watch doesn't have that internal beauty despite its high price-point.  

For those who are considering this watch, I would advise a detour to look at the Patek Philippe 5296 and 5127 models for a few thousand more, or the always-good Rolex Datejust.  Or, if manual wind and lack of a date are not an issue; consider the Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Traditionelle or the Lange 1815 Manual Wind. 

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