Eight of the Best

ROTONDE DE CARTIER GRANDE COMPLICATION

Since it started its Fine Watchmaking division in 2007, Cartier’s goal was to create a Grande Complication, the kind of timepiece that symbolises that a manufacture has ‘arrived’. This year, it celebrates this achievement with the Rotonde de Cartier Grande Complication. With a whopping 578 components, this timepiece took five years to develop, 20 weeks to produce and assemble and 10 weeks to decorate and finish. The result is an ultra-thin skeleton masterpiece with automatic movement that includes a perpetual calendar, minute repeater and flying tourbillon, earning it the title of the brand’s most complex creation. Apart from the functions, the watch also offers visual technics in that the minute repeater is prominently displayed on the dial, with the gongs and hammers in full view. The inertia flywheel is also shown on the upper bridge. The watch, which comes in a 45mm platinum case, carries the Geneva Seal and will be produced in a limited series of 60.

MONTBLANC TIMEWALKER URBAN SPEED E-STRAP

While Apple fans eagerly await the release of the company’s smart watch line, Montblanc is a luxury watchmaker that has been quick to position itself on top of what is bound to be a fast-evolving trend. At SIHH, the brand introduced the TimeWalker Urban Speed e-Strap, a timepiece that looks very much like the tried and tested TimeWalkers we know and like, with a micro-blasted stainless steel case and ceramic bezel, but featuring an interchangeable e-Strap integrated with a touchscreen device that offers an activity tracker, which measures steps, calories burned and distance travelled; and smart notifications, which provides alerts to incoming calls, messages and mail. The device also acts as a remote control for the wearer’s corresponding smart phone and includes a camera trigger and music player controls. Lastly, the Find-Me function allows searching for the watch or phone within a range of up to 30 metres, either by tapping on the e-Strap to locate the phone, or using the phone application to find the watch. The e-Strap is compatible with Samsung Galaxy and Note phones, selected android models and Apple iPhones. Equipped with an automatic movement, the collection extends to three new models, including a chronograph and a UTC.