Cloche De Cartier Watch

CARTIER PRIVE

THE TENTH OPUS

Each year, Cartier Privé - Les Opus offers a contemporary interpretation of an emblematic and exclusive shape from Cartier's watchmaking heritage. Since 2015, this collectors' get-together has centred around the Crash, the Tank Cintrée, the Tonneau, the Tank Asymétrique, the Cloche, the Tank Chinoise, the Tank Normale, the Tortue and the Tank à Guichets.

TRIO EXCEPTIONAL

For its 10th Opus, Cartier Privé is celebrating three of the most emblematic shapes from previous editions: the Tank Normale, the Tortue Chronographe Monopoussoir and the Crash Squelette.

This exceptional triptych pays tribute to platinum, the Maison's signature material. Particularly beloved at Cartier, platinum offers the most precious and sought-after aesthetic in watchmaking. Today, the Maison is going one step further by using the iconic chromatic combination of platinum and burgundy to connect these three creations together. A ruby cabochon for the winding mechanism, leather straps and traced burgundy details form an ensemble that contrasts elegantly with the silvered opaline dial and blued steel hands.

"The first Cartier skeleton watches appeared in the 1920s as pocket watches. A true marvel of elegance and technical sophistication, their design made it possible to render complications visible. In 2009, Cartier unveiled the Santos 100 skeleton watch with the patented Calibre 9611 MC Manufacture movement. This watch is immediately recognisable by its bridges sculpted in the shape of Roman numerals. This approach reflects the Cartier watchmaking spirit, where technique is at the service of aesthetic."

PIERRE RAINERO, DIRECTOR OF IMAGE, STYLE AND HERITAGE

TORTUE CHRONOGRAPHE MONOPOUSSOIR

The Tortue Chronographe Monopoussoir is a reinterpretation of a model from the Collection Privée Cartier Paris created in 1998, transforming the XII into an XL version, while also reinterpreting the beaded hour-markers, rail track and triangular motifs found at the four corners of the dial. The watch is fitted with the Manufacture 1928 MC movement, a single-button chronograph movement adjusted to fit the shape of the case. The start, stop and reset functions are condensed into a single push-button integrated into the crown. The refined movement is 4.30 mm thick, making it the Maison's thinnest chronograph. It represents the coming together of craftsmanship and design thanks to its high level of finishing and the curves of the Côtes de Genève decor emphasising the shape of the bridges, which are visible through the back of the Tortue's sapphire crystal caseback.

TANK NORMALE

With its seven-row platinum bracelet, the Tank Normale with mechanical movement and manual winding echoes a model from 1934. The brushed finish on the case and bracelet contrasts with the polished metal on the edges of the brancards and the rim of the case.

These two exclusive creations are complemented by a legend of Cartier watchmaking heritage, the Crash Squelette watch, which was the first aesthetic to be created by Cartier Privé.

CRASH SQUELETTE

Created in 1967 in the heart of Swinging London, the Crash watch beats to the same rhythm that animated the city at that time. With its asymmetrical dial, it revolutionised the aesthetic codes of watchmaking. Since its introduction, this watch has always been produced as part of very exclusive series.

This unprecedented design has now been reworked with a new skeleton shape. The Manufacture 1967 MC movement with manual winding has been specially developed to harmonise with the singular lines of this all-new aesthetic, such that all 142 of its components can be housed in the smallest space possible. With this watch, everything goes one step further, and as such the moving parts of the movement become one with the bridges. The distortion appears accentuated, as if the crown has dragged the movement down.

With bridges shaped like Roman numerals, the technique used and finishes present reflect the Maison's watchmaking excellence. This movement construction, a Cartier signature, has been patented. The bridges on the mechanism have been entirely hammered by hand, using a traditional decorating technique requiring almost two hours of high-precision work for each piece. The Crash Squelette watch is available in 150 numbered limited-edition pieces.

This new creative expression of the skeleton movement exemplifies the Maison’s constant quest for harmonisation between creative freedom and technical exploration, always at the service of form.