foversta
[PuristSPro Moderator]
20814
Hands on review of the Rotonde de Cartier Day and Night (2014 version)
One of the nicest watches from the Collection Privée Cartier Paris was the Rotonde Day and Night. Unveiled in the middle of the 2000s, it featured an original hours display which was using a large disk on which were drawn the moon and the sun whose extremities were replacing the hour hand. So it was for me a true pleasure to discover a new version of this watch at the 2014 SIHH. But it is not exactly the same watch since the new Rotonde Day and Night, available in Pink Gold or in Palladium, offers an additional complication with the moonphases display. Moreover, the minutes display also changed.
From now on, the lower part of the dial is dedicated to the new complication with a quite unusual way to perform it since the different moonphases are indicated thanks to a hand. The reason behind this choice is quite easy to explain: it allows to locate the series of the moonphases like a fan and so to decorate the dial. The graduation scale of the minutes is removed while the previous version of this Rotonde was characterized by the use of arabic numerals, the roman numerals being dedicated, on the upper part of the dial, to the hours. We are touching here the other difference, maybe more subtle, between the two versions. On the first Rotonde Day and Night, the minutes were displayed thanks to a retrograde hand which was running only on the lower part of the dial. The dial was separated into two parts in the functional point of view. However, with the new version, the minutes hand runs on the full dial. It is at the end the moonphases display which uses the retrograde hand.
Such display requires a period of habituation because our mind is trained and used to follow the joint positions of the two main hands and it is here unnecessary to look for the traditional hours hand. It is replaced to our benefit, from a pure aesthetic point of view, by the large disk which , thanks to its continuous rotation, makes appear in turns the sun (between 6 o'clock AM and 6 o'clock PM) and the moon (during the other range of the day). To read the hours, we only need to observe the location of the extremity of the celestial body which is visible. Taking into account the disk decoration, our glance can be distracted and the legibility may become more precise, especially with the sun. But after all, is it that important? The charm of the Rotonde Day and Night manly comes from the visual impact caused by this disk clearly inspired by an Art déco style. The sunrays, the two celestial bodies, the combination between the lines and the circles, the darker rendering of the night period, all these details create a magic environment which continuously moves all day long.
And furthermore, I find that the choice of such additional complication is wise. The moon is depicted both on the upper part to indicate the hours and on the lower part for the complication which is dedicated to it. Moreover, the slow move of the moonphases display is very faithful to the spirit of the disk rotation which is also far from being very swift... Actually, the Rotonde Day and Night creates a different relationship with time. Nothing is speedy on the dial (there is no second hand or any other indicator that the watch is running), everything is peaceful and calm. I almost want to say that this watch is relaxing for our spirit in a world which goes faster and faster everyday. Cartier reminds us here that at the end the flow of time is always the same for anybody. It is just a question of our own perception!
The Rotonde Day and Night is powered by the automatic movement 9912MC which has a 4hz frequency and a power reserve of 48 hours. Even if it looks a bit too small for the 43,5mm diameter of the case, it is decorated soberly and with care. The sunrays finishings on the bridges on the bridges particularly contribute positively to the perceived quality of the whole watch. I found that the movement rendering has improved if I compare it with other movements from Manufacture Cartier of the previous years. Cartier is making progress and we can feel it.
The challenge for this watch was to be able to keep the elegance of the initial model despite the enlarged size and the presence of an additional complication. It achieves this objective because the case size is not a main issue and it is almost mandatory in order to highlight the beauty of the star of the show: the hours disk. Moreover, it offers a lot of refined details like the Breguet style minute hand (apple-shaped - aiguille pomme in French), the lunar crescent shaped hand of the moonphases display, the blue sapphire cabochon set on the crown. And the lay-out of the dial is optimal since all the space available is harmoniously used.
I was seduced by this new version of the Rotonde Day and Night. Cartier managed to find its inspiration from the first version without "cloning" it. Cartier preserved its elegance and its charm despite the enlarged size. I consider it as one of the most convincing watches of the current catalogue because I see it as a kind of successful link between the former Collection Privée and the new Haute Horlogerie collection.
Thanks a lot to the Cartier Team of the Capucines Boutique of Paris.
Pros:
+ the charm of the hours display
+ the additional complication is perfect in this context
+ the presentation of the movement, sober and refined at the same time
+ the finishings of the dial elements
+ a "peaceful" watch
Cons:
- time reading requires a period of habituation
- the movement is a bit too small for the case
This message has been edited by foversta on 2014-06-21 01:03:35
From now on, the lower part of the dial is dedicated to the new complication with a quite unusual way to perform it since the different moonphases are indicated thanks to a hand. The reason behind this choice is quite easy to explain: it allows to locate the series of the moonphases like a fan and so to decorate the dial. The graduation scale of the minutes is removed while the previous version of this Rotonde was characterized by the use of arabic numerals, the roman numerals being dedicated, on the upper part of the dial, to the hours. We are touching here the other difference, maybe more subtle, between the two versions. On the first Rotonde Day and Night, the minutes were displayed thanks to a retrograde hand which was running only on the lower part of the dial. The dial was separated into two parts in the functional point of view. However, with the new version, the minutes hand runs on the full dial. It is at the end the moonphases display which uses the retrograde hand.
Such display requires a period of habituation because our mind is trained and used to follow the joint positions of the two main hands and it is here unnecessary to look for the traditional hours hand. It is replaced to our benefit, from a pure aesthetic point of view, by the large disk which , thanks to its continuous rotation, makes appear in turns the sun (between 6 o'clock AM and 6 o'clock PM) and the moon (during the other range of the day). To read the hours, we only need to observe the location of the extremity of the celestial body which is visible. Taking into account the disk decoration, our glance can be distracted and the legibility may become more precise, especially with the sun. But after all, is it that important? The charm of the Rotonde Day and Night manly comes from the visual impact caused by this disk clearly inspired by an Art déco style. The sunrays, the two celestial bodies, the combination between the lines and the circles, the darker rendering of the night period, all these details create a magic environment which continuously moves all day long.
And furthermore, I find that the choice of such additional complication is wise. The moon is depicted both on the upper part to indicate the hours and on the lower part for the complication which is dedicated to it. Moreover, the slow move of the moonphases display is very faithful to the spirit of the disk rotation which is also far from being very swift... Actually, the Rotonde Day and Night creates a different relationship with time. Nothing is speedy on the dial (there is no second hand or any other indicator that the watch is running), everything is peaceful and calm. I almost want to say that this watch is relaxing for our spirit in a world which goes faster and faster everyday. Cartier reminds us here that at the end the flow of time is always the same for anybody. It is just a question of our own perception!
The Rotonde Day and Night is powered by the automatic movement 9912MC which has a 4hz frequency and a power reserve of 48 hours. Even if it looks a bit too small for the 43,5mm diameter of the case, it is decorated soberly and with care. The sunrays finishings on the bridges on the bridges particularly contribute positively to the perceived quality of the whole watch. I found that the movement rendering has improved if I compare it with other movements from Manufacture Cartier of the previous years. Cartier is making progress and we can feel it.
The challenge for this watch was to be able to keep the elegance of the initial model despite the enlarged size and the presence of an additional complication. It achieves this objective because the case size is not a main issue and it is almost mandatory in order to highlight the beauty of the star of the show: the hours disk. Moreover, it offers a lot of refined details like the Breguet style minute hand (apple-shaped - aiguille pomme in French), the lunar crescent shaped hand of the moonphases display, the blue sapphire cabochon set on the crown. And the lay-out of the dial is optimal since all the space available is harmoniously used.
I was seduced by this new version of the Rotonde Day and Night. Cartier managed to find its inspiration from the first version without "cloning" it. Cartier preserved its elegance and its charm despite the enlarged size. I consider it as one of the most convincing watches of the current catalogue because I see it as a kind of successful link between the former Collection Privée and the new Haute Horlogerie collection.
Thanks a lot to the Cartier Team of the Capucines Boutique of Paris.
Pros:
+ the charm of the hours display
+ the additional complication is perfect in this context
+ the presentation of the movement, sober and refined at the same time
+ the finishings of the dial elements
+ a "peaceful" watch
Cons:
- time reading requires a period of habituation
- the movement is a bit too small for the case
More posts:
Hands on review of the Rotonde de Cartier Day and Night (2014 version)
One of the nicest watches from the Collection Prive Cartier Paris was the Rotonde Day and Night. Unveiled in the middle of the 2000s, it featured an original hours display which was using a large disk on which were drawn the moon and the sun whose extrem...
Another great review Fx!
The Cartier Rotonde de Cartier Day and Night is a very romantic watch to wear and tell the time. Agree we all need to get used to it though. The finishing is pretty good even if the movement seems small for the 43.5mm case. Not too bad imho! Thanks for th...
