Today we bring you the new Clé de Cartier just released at the SIHH 2015 in Geneva. With this new watch Cartier seeks to pare down silhouettes and reduce them to their essence, with a focus on precision, balance and proportion. Great mastery was employed to create a seamless flow, a minimalist elegance and a harmonious design. Sharp edges were eliminated. The bezel is gently rounded, the horns smoothly tapered. All of which evoke an intangible perfection. “Clé” means “key” in French and the crown’s resemblance to one is unmistakable. The act of resetting the time and date introduces a new gesture to the world of watchmaking, one that recalls the traditional turning of a key to wind up a clock. Elongated and pure, it is adorned with a sapphire that is not set in a classical manner. Instead, it is ingeniously inserted to remain flush with the metal surrounding it.
The dial features a beautiful 'guilloché' center and the very classic and iconic Cartier Roman numerals around the perimeter of the dial.
Fitted with a new in-house automatic movement combining cutting-edge technology and in-depth expertise, the new movement was developed, produced and assembled by the craftsmen of the Cartier Manufacture in Switzerland. Its name —1847 MC— pays homage to the year the Maison was founded. The incorporation of a particularly rapid barrel provides it with tremendous chronometric stability. The dual-direction winding automatic mechanism provides great durability via a specially designed lever system. The new calibre is fully visible via the display case back of the watch.
The Clé de Cartier will be available starting April of this year in three different sizes and three different types of gold. The sizes are 40 mm, 35 mm and 31 mm. The gold options are 18K rose gold, 18K white gold and a special 18K yellow gold version only available for the U.S. market. The watch is also available with diamond encrusted bezel and with either a full gold bracelet or on alligator strap with folding clasp.
On the wrist, the 40 mm case wears smaller than its actual size and more like a 38 mm case if you have a 7.25" wrist. The bracelet is comfortable but quite light due to the hollow links in its construction as seen below.
This is a very classic and elegant watch with a perfect unisex design. Its low profile allows for the watch to easily hide underneath the cuff of a shirt and its a watch that looks great dressed up or dressed down.
Sticker Price $58,500 Euro for RG 40 mm on bracelet and $45,200 Euro for the 35 mm also on bracelet. For more info on Cartier click here.
