Cartier Rotonde Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon Experience

Apr 20, 2012,04:11 AM
 

The working sample landed here and I had an opportunity to handle and listen.  In short, this is a great watch.  I like it - despite the size says 45mm, it doesn't wear that big.  Sure, a bit thick, but I could live with it.  One thing I am a bit uncomfortable was the stiffness of the minute repeater "pusher" instead of usual "lever".  You need to push it with all you got in order to give it the energy which is normally given by the pushing up or pulling down the lever which is much easier for your finger....

Very well-balanced, handsome face.



Flying tourbillon - beautiful, as usual.



On the back.



Close-up of the tourbillon back...



Closing-in....



Hammers and the "silent" governor in the center.



45mm - but doesn't look that big on my 6.45" wrist.



A bit thick, sure....















This is the "pusher" for the minute repeater.  Again, NOT the lever, BUT the pusher.



Now on to the video (sorry for a bit of the background noise...)!

1. The sound.  Maybe a bit small but to my ears this is as loud as Pateks' and very clean and clear.  Really good sound.




2. What is happening in the back.  By pushing the button, you see a big move inside that powers the repeater function. But on your wrist,  you would require thick skin on your powerful thumb... smile




3. The pusher is too hard and here is what happens if you don't do it right..... do not try at home!  Do it on your wrist!





Overall, my impression is very positive, although way out of my league, the price tag is not that surprisingly high considering the tourbillon + beautiful sound MR.  Anyone? smile

Many thanks to The Hour Glass Ginza.


Best,
Ken

This message has been edited by KIH on 2012-04-20 04:13:25


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Comments: view entire thread

 

This is an outstanding watch

 
 By: SJX : April 21st, 2012-02:42
Mechanically and in terms of finishing this is an outstanding watch. In terms of execution it could be a bit smaller and sans tourbillon, but the repeater is a superb achievement. People may not recognise it now but this moves Cartier up significantly in ... 

Amazing watch

 
 By: Dje : April 21st, 2012-10:34
Hi Ken, Thank you for your report. This is an amazing watch (I saw it in Geneva), even if it is too large for my taste, and definitely not the kind of watch I'm expecting from Cartier! Best Dje

I handled the rose gold verision in La Chaux de Fonds....

 
 By: WHL : April 23rd, 2012-11:44
just last week, which I was told suffers a 5 decibel decrease in sound level compared with the titanium watch. Even so, I was impressed by the watch, as the repeater could be clearly heard in a room with conversations going on in the background. Also, the... 

I agree

 
 By: SJX : April 24th, 2012-02:22
Technically this is impressive and while the absolute price is still a lot of money, the price is fair relative to competition. This really put Cartier on a whole new level. - SJX

Interesting piece Ken..

 
 By: fernando : May 13th, 2012-01:17
Surprisingly, it doesn't look too big on your wrist at 45mm. I suppose the pusher ensures the correct force necessary to power the MR but it does look like it requires a bit of effort. Thanks for sharing! fernando

When I handled the watch.....

 
 By: WHL : May 17th, 2012-11:00
I found that I prefer this button activation over the standard slide as is found on most repeating watches, where my grip is not always secure. Bill