Cartier has served up models for both sexes as its appetiser for the 2012 SIHH, each with a unique dial that immediately draws the eye to the watch. For ladies, there is the Masse Secrète Panther Décor watch and for gentlemen the Rotonde de Cartier Cadran Lové Tourbillon.

MASSE SECRÈTE PANTHER DÉCOR WATCH

Ladies first. Cartier’s house animal, the panther, prowls around the dial of the Masse Secrète Panther Décor piece, set against a deep purple mother-of-pearl dial. The beast in 18-carat white gold is set with diamonds and has black lacquer spots—a design familiar from the brand’s jewellery pieces, in particular the “Panthère de Cartier” brooch. But the panther is not just decorative, since it is actually a novel form of “inversed” oscillating mass and it powers the calibre 9603 MC manufacture movement (a self-winding movement which has a 48-hour power reserve) hidden inside the 18-carat white-gold round case. The case itself recalls the famous Cartier jewellery pieces and is fully paved on the case, bezel and lugs with a total of 633 diamonds for a total of around 6.8 carats.

For gentlemen, Cartier offers a flying tourbillon model whose dominating crescent-shaped scale of skeleton Roman numerals slopes towards the centre of the watch, automatically drawing the eye towards the tourbillon cage, which floats above the bridges on the dial. The Rotonde de Cartier Cadran Lové Tourbillon is powered by the calibre 9458 MC manufacture movement, which is positioned slightly off centre in the case. The manually-wound calibre is 39 mm in diameter and 5.58 mm in height and, operating at 21,600 vibrations per hour, offers a power reserve of 50 hours.

ROTONDE DE CARTIER CADRAN LOVÉ TOURBILLON

An 18-carat white-gold case and sapphire crystals for the front and back, plus baton hands and a beaded crown set with a sapphire cabochon, provide the signature Cartier design elements. The Rotonde de Cartier Cadran Lové Tourbillon is limited to 100 individually numbered pieces, each bearing the prestigious Geneva Seal hallmark as a confirmation of the high-quality finish of its components.

Source: Europa Star December - january 2012 Magazine Issue