Cartier

A visit at the Cartier Boutique boulevard des Capucines today

 

I posted on the forum yesterday a message from Cartier informing that the High Horology collection would be available at the Boutique boulevard des Capucines in Paris till the end of the month. So I decided to dedicate the Saturday morning to a visit at the Boutique to have the opportunity to handle these watches... a few months after the SIHH.

I remind you that we wrote 2 full reports about the 2014 collection:

From Olivier and Magnus:
cartier.watchprosite.com

Mine:
cartier.watchprosite.com

I would like to share with you the pics I took today... to give you the wish to take advantage of the presence of the collection and to see it at the Boutique if you are in Paris at this period.

The Rotonde AstroCalendaire (AstroCalendar) was one star of the SIHH with its original Perpetual Calendar display:

The question with this watch is to know which is the most important complication. The Perpetual Calendar which creates the "arena" effect? Or the Tourbillon which works in its center?

Actually, the magic of the watch comes from the perfect combo of these complications.

The leap year indicator is located movement side:

Tuesday, the 13th of May... did you catch the way to read the calendar data?

The watch  has a strong presence on the wrist for two reasons: the intriguing dial lay-out and the case diameter. The watch is very large... but the displays explain it.

The Rotonde Earth and Moon features a moonphase display on demand which plays with the Tourbillon:

The finishings of the dial are gorgeous, the lapis-lazuli symbolizes the twinkling of the stars:

Its movement has a stunning lay-out which makes me think about a web or a constellation:

The 47mm platinum case makes the watch difficult to be worn by small wrists. It has to be tested even if the accurate adjustement of the folding clasp makes it well positionned on the wrist.

The Rotonde Tourbillon Chronograph features a movement from Renaud&Papi with  a power reserve of 8 days:

I appreciate the way the power reserve indicator is displayed on the dial:





The movement has a quite original architecture due to its main bridge and seems a bit too concentrated on the lower part. But its finishings are flawless.

The case diameter is 45mm but it is a quite comfortable watch and in my point of view, easier to be worn than the Pasha which was using this movement previously.

Here comes my fav of the collection and one member of my top 3 from the 2014 SIHH!

The Tank Louis Cartier Skeleton Sapphire has kept all this charm 4 months after the SIHH believe me...

This watch is pure magic, it seems so delicate... so refined...

Hopefully, the wrist hairs are not too visible, it would have spoiled the pleasure!

The two barrels are more used to improve the thrust than the power reserve. 

The dial side is a feast for the eyes...

And it is the same with the caseback!

The movement looks like a gathering of circles like soap bubbles. I love it...

Another favorite is the Rotonde Day and Night.

It is another poetic watch from Cartier and the addition of the moonphase complication is a good idea in this context. The original watch was issued several years ago (mid 2000).

For me, there is a kind of art-déco style which can be found on the disk used to display the hours.

What time is it?

It is 10 in the morning (look at the sun) and 8 minutes.

The watch combines two slow-mo displays: the moonphase and the large disk dedicated to the hours. It is the reason why we have a different relationship with the flow of time when we wear this watch!

The Rotonde Day and Night is powered by the automatic movement 9912MC. I like the sunrays on the bridge.

I would like to finish this report with the Calibre Diver. But this time, with the PG version! We may think that it is basically the same watch with a different case material. But the whole rendering is fully transformed by the use of PG.

The watch looks warmer and more "dressed":

It manages to combine an elegant side with the powerful design of a diver watch. The elegance is preserved thanks to the contained case height (12mm), there is only a 1mm difference between this watch and the "classic" Calibre.

Actually, the thicker bezel and the black dial reduce the feeling of size and the Calibre Diver looks smaller than the original watch... and it is a very positive feeling.

The beautiful case side:

And the watch on the wrist. Like the two tones watch, this one features a nice gold ring around the subdial:

I already wrote it several times but I write it again: I like the Diver! It convinces me much more than the "classic" Calibre which seems to hesitate between different worlds. At least the Diver has a straight design and the change of bezel brings a lot. More powerful, the Calibre looks now fully "completed".

Of course, we will have the opportunity to come back on these watches during the next weeks.

But please, if you are in Paris, visit the Boutique and... post your pics and feelings!

I would like to thank a lot the staff of the Boutique for the warm welcome!

Fx

This message has been edited by foversta on 2014-05-18 01:07:01

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