Stuff of Legends

The aim of Watches & Wonders is not only to present the latest collections, but also to bring cutting edge, historic and significant timepieces that highlight the watchmaker’s capabilities. For this reason, Cartier brought an extensive selection of timepieces, some of them for the first time, to Hong Kong.

Both the ID One and ID Two were in attendance, concept watches that were never meant to be sold but feature the maison’s vision for the future of timekeeping. The ID One was centred on the optimisation of a regulating element, with a niobium-titanium case, carbon crystal components and adjustment- and lubrication-free pallet and escapement wheel. From this concept watch, the Rotonde de Cartier’s Astrotourbillon Carbon Crystal watch was conceived. The watch, which was presented in 2012, is a very limited edition that offers solid evidence of the leaps and bounds that Cartier has made in Fine Watchmaking.

As with the first Rotonde de Cartier Astrotourbillon presented in 2011, the seconds hand is actually a tourbillon carriage that turns around the dial every minute. Many of the discoveries from ID One were used in the watch, including the shiny black niobium-titanium case, in 47mm, with an adjustment-free tourbillon escapement made from a carbon crystal escapement wheels and bridges, and tungsten-carbide axis.

Another interesting watch on display was the Tortue XXL Multiple Timezone watch. Presented this year at SIHH and available in pink or white gold at 51x45.6mm, the watch is not your average world timer. Along its left flank, a small window offers a list of cities, which allows the user to select his/her local timezone via a pusher at two o’clock. Home time is displayed on a lower disc, and sun/moon-shaped hands indicate day and night, allowing for a more elegant multi-level dial design. The watch features the automatic calibre 9914MC, which can be viewed via the caseback, offering a power reserve of 48 hours.

Also part of the Cartier exhibition at Watches and Wonders was the 2013 Mysterieuse collection, high jewellery watches, including the Rotonde de Cartier gold Panthere with Etruscan granulation, and historical pieces from the Tank archives.