The mysteries of the panther

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The mysteries of the panther - SIHH 2016: Cartier
3 minutes read
The wild cat that has been a mainstay in the Cartier collection for over a hundred years adorns two new ladies’ models in the 2016 Cartier watch collection.

The new “Panthères et Colibri” model from Cartier is the first feminine interpretation of an “on-demand” complication along the same lines as the one introduced for men in a moon phase model last year. In this exquisite new jewellery model, where the indication of passing time is given only scant attention with the presence of two exceedingly discreet hour and minute hands, the power reserve of the self-winding 9915MC calibre is displayed on demand: after pressing on the crown at 3 o’clock, a baby panther in red gold emerges from behind its white-gold, diamond-set mother in an attempt to catch a hummingbird, also in red gold, as it attempts to fly off the dial. The higher the bird flies, the greater the remaining power reserve.

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While ladies will be delighted with the 314 diamonds set on the 18-carat white gold case, the 270 diamonds an emerald eye on the white-gold panther, not to mention the playful interpretation of a useful horological complication, the piece also hides a number of technical developments that we have come to expect from Cartier, including three patents.

A power reserve primer
There are broadly speaking three different types of differential used in a power reserve complication: the endless screw, the spherical differential with ball bearings and the planetary differential, which is used in the majority of power reserve complications. But this usually has a direct connection to an indicator that constantly displays the power reserve. Since Cartier’s “on-demand” complication requires the power reserve to be “stored”, a simple planetary differential would not work. Instead, it requires a power management system that can store the power reserve (on a snail cam), then coordinate its display, because the baby panther always moves the same distance, while the hummingbird moves a distance proportional to the power reserve.

When the crown is pushed, it acts on a feeler, to which a lever has been added to ensure the crown is always pushed in completely. The command information is then passed on to the hummingbird and the panther via a peripheral gear, but since the panther always moves the same distance, a maltese cross regulator is added to regulate this, while an additional regulator gear train, similar to that used in a minute-repeater mechanism, has also been added to ensure a regular speed of movement in the automaton display.

Cartier Pantheres et colibri

This combination of painstakingly researched technology and sumptuous stone setting naturally has its price, with the “standard” version, featuring 7.5 carats of diamonds, retailing for a cool  la couronne170,000 and the more luxurious model with a diamond-set bracelet and 24.5 carats of diamonds selling for €350,000.

Relief sculpture meets horological emptiness
Two of Cartier’s signature touches are brought together in the Panthère Mystérieuse as a three-dimensional relief sculpture of a panther (which requires two weeks of work and is set with no less than 533 brilliant-cut diamonds with two pear-cut emeralds for the eyes) wraps itself around the circumference of the 18-carat white-gold case and peers into the mysterious void of the offset transparent dial where the hour and minute hands seem to float in mid air – another distinctive trait that has been found in the Cartier collection since the first mysterious clocks appeared over a hundred years ago.

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Insiders know that the trick is achieved by the use of sapphire discs, which are engaged with the movement around their perimeter. The real technical prowess is managing to accommodate all 158 components of the 9981MC calibre in the tight space that remains. An added mystery is how to set the time, since there is no visible crown. To find the solution you have to run the risk of disturbing the lounging panther, since the crown is hidden underneath it. There is no mystery to the price, however, as the weeks of hand engraving combined with the exuberance of 621 diamonds in total, plus the white gold for the case and the panther sculpture make for a price of €170,000, or €350,000 with a diamond-set bracelet.

Cartier Pantheres Mysterieuse

 

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