Over the past ten years, Cartier has become one of the most inventive and stimulating watch brands in the busiess. To accommodate the many original, astonishing and sometimes unique horological complications that have emerged from the Manufacture, the brand has developed an emphatic style based on large-diameter, powerfully styled cases.
But not everyone can nor indeed wishes to wear a 45mm – or even 42mm – case. The brand has thus begun to interpret some of its best-selling models in more modestly sized versions, as well as shedding certain details, which gives them a more elegant and simple appearance. In 2014, Cartier had thus launched a new iteration of its Ballon Bleu Ultra-Thin. Having been introduced at 47mm, this astonishingly comfortable model now also comes in a 40mm version. The same goes for the Ballon Bleu Tourbillon, which now comes in a 39mm variation alongside the 46mm original. These drastic size reductions prove that the two entirely different dimensions can work for the same model.
The 2015 launches are accentuating this trend. The Calibre de Cartier has been rethought and is exploring new horizons with 39mm models alongside the initial 42mm options, especially since this reduction is matched by a more demure dial. The oversized XII is gone, as is the wide date aperture at 3 o’clock revealing three numerals at once, replaced by a smaller display. The rest of the design, especially with regard to the case and its details, remain intact.
This new wave of new Cartier watches is driven by a case that is nothing new in itself, but had not been placed in the limelight as a full-fledged range: the Rotonde. There is a reason why this model has successively welcomed all the brand’s complications, and particularly the most sophisticated ones: it is the simplest Cartier watch and the one best able to adapt to various movements, diameters and thicknesses. For example, having long served to house the 45mm annual calendar, it has adapted smoothly to the reduction recently undergone by this complication that has shrunk to 40mm, with a corresponding modification of the movement to fit these new dimensions.
The Rotonde is currently taking a more modest turn by adopting a “medium” complication in the shape of an extremely chic chronograph with a universally appreciated 40mm diameter. This is a first in the Cartier collections, which tended to feature chronographs that were large, complicated, or – in keeping with the brand culture – anything but round. This line should progressively be enriched with new executions in a similar spirit: dressier, more classic and above all complementary to the rest of its mechanical ranges.
