A Calibre Of It's Own

Evan Rast examines Cartier’s quest for luxury supremacy: how a sprawling new facility and nine exceptional timepieces attest to the brand’s excellence

And for a timepiece which retails at about HK$50,000, the Calibre also has an edge in that it uses the in-house 1904 MC automatic movement, which features ceramic ball bearings and the use of a pawl system over the reversers of the more common ETA alternatives. The basic version of the watch has hours, minutes, seconds and date, a 48-hour power reserve from two barrels and Côtes de Genève finishing on the bridges, rotor and mainplate.

Two complicated Calibre models were also presented at SIHH. Last year’s Rotonde Chronocentral movement has been used to create the Calibre de Cartier Chronograph, and the Calibre de Cartier Flying Tourbillon completes the range. Both watches come in 45mm cases, in very appealing pink and white gold versions.

As its CEO Bernard Fornas stressed when the brand revealed its first Fine Watchmaking collection, “Just as we have dominated the jewellery world, we are 100 percent committed to dominating the high watchmaking world.” Given the notable execution of the pieces at this SIHH, and the careful effort given to develop of a respectable range of complications, there is no doubt that Cartier is climbing the ranks of haute horologerie at breakneck speed. Expect to see it at the top very soon. - ER

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