Personally, I don’t like it and feel that it off-balances the dial. The biggest point of contention for most people is the “expanded’ date window – Cartier is just being trendy with that. The sub second dial is tastefully done and the classic Cartier DNA is preserved with the Roman numerals. In fact, I wonder what it would look like with larger hands overall. However, I feel that Cartier could have extended the minute hand a bit more and given it a bit more lume. The dial is pretty cool and I like seeing it and reading it. Cartier really wanted to make sure the case and dial has the right mix of complexity and simplicity. This design feature adds visual interest and complexity to a rather simple dial. Look at the inner sides of the dial and it looks like you are viewing gear teeth.

I hope that made sense.ĭetailing on the case is impressive with a great deal to look at – including recessed areas and, my favorite part, the bezel and flange ring. On a watch like this (and many other higher-end pieces) there is a very distinct transition between the finishes. Let me explain, on most cheaper watches when you have a brushed area and a polished area, the transition between these finishes is more of a blur/blend. Thin strips of polished metal are placed around the brushed surfaces with the contrast between the two finishes being very good. Thanks to the lugs allowing the bottom to wrap around your wrist, this watch is quite comfortable to wear and in addition to that, the piece does not have a tall profile.įor the price, the detailing and finishing on the case and bracelet are very good. Thanks to a hefty crown guard and large, widely spaced lugs this watch is one of the best optical illusions around. Seeing it in a store window I would bet money it was larger than its 42mm wide size might suggest. That is the one I wanted to review and so I did. Cartier is known for rather nice bracelets so it was a shame to see a new sport watch on just a strap. I predicted in 2010 that the Calibre would soon have a bracelet option and in 2011 Cartier offered one. You can see the movement via the sapphire caseback window on the back of the watch. Cartier made sure that it had enough differences in comparison to most of the base movements offered by ETA. Functionally, it has the time with a subsidiary seconds dial and the date. A thin caliber automatic that had 48 hours of power reserve with a rotor set of ceramic ball bearings. The new masculine watch offered a sporty look (more so than Cartier’s other sport watches such as the Pasha, Santos, and Roadster) as well as, for the first time, an “entry-level” Cartier with an in-house movement. In 2010 Cartier announced the release of the simply named Calibre, a story that I covered here. All these watches had exotic movements and prices were on par with that of some very nice real estate. Cartier offered a brand new look and feel to the type of watch that could bear the Cartier name. The first watches to contain in-house Cartier movements were very high-end. ETA hasn’t done this yet but Cartier was smart to invest in movement manufacturing in the event that it does happen. I also suspect this push to make movements was partly due to ETA’s (Swatch Group owned while Cartier is Richemont) continual threats to stop supplying movements to outside brands. Well, sometimes “in-house” just meant no one else was using those movements but that’s another matter altogether. This meant adding a lot more high-end watches to their range, as well as offering in-house made movements. They wanted even more legitimacy, especially with the growing population of seasoned watch lovers. They really are the model of a solid luxury watch brand.Ī few years ago, Cartier decided that this was not enough. Classic Cartier designs are also a great influence to their direct competitors. They have heaps of reputation, a solid history and plenty of important people who wear their products. Cartier is what they call a legitimate brand. That word is legitimacy and I love to hear the French pronounce it. There is a word that is thrown around a lot in the watch world that means the public takes a watch (or anything else for that matter) seriously.

Calibre de cartier