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while cartier is normally associated with sumptuous refined designs such as the new Santos-Dumont Skeleton watch, the case of the new 45mm-diameter Calibre de Cartier Flying Tourbillon watch bristles with unabashed masculinity and a decidedly technical bent. A spherical bezel gives way to dramatically sharp-angled lugs and a thick purpose-built crown guard.

Housed within is the manual-wound caliber 9452 MC — Cartier’s now-iconic Geneva Seal movement that

FLYING TOURBILLON By wei koh

CALIBRE DE CARTIER

made its debut at the 2008 SIHH in the Ballon Bleu de Cartier watch, and incorporated in the Tank Américaine and Santos 100 Flying Tourbillon watches presented at the 2009 SIHH.

Almost dangerously close to the surface of the watch’s domed sapphire crystal and beating at 21,600vph is a balance wheel co-axially mounted to an in-house manufactured skeletonized flying tourbillon cage with a big “C” motif. Because this type of design does away with any bridge attaching the tourbillon to the dial, you have a gloriously uninhibited view of the horological magic device meant to compensate for errors caused by earth’s gravitational field.

This year, the Calibre de Cartier Flying Tourbillon timepiece is intended to be a showcase for the brand’s technically inclined side — and this piece clearly lives up to its name.

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more than a watch, the rotonde de Cartier Skeleton Flying Tourbillon is a showcase for Cartier’s long-established reputation as the master in watch design, as well as its newly minted reputation as a hothouse for high watchmaking artistry. Contained within the scant 45mm

ROTONDE DE CARTIER SKELETONFLYING TOURBILLON

CARTIER

diameter of this white-gold beauty are three signature flourishes of the Cartier brand that will resonate profoundly with those blessed with a discerning eye.

The first is the Rotonde case’s perfect spherical harmony — its curvilinear grace is interrupted only by the audacious intrusion of its circular-grained white-gold crown set with an imperious sapphire cabochon. The second is the in-house skeletonized caliber 9455 MC movement, which ingeniously utilizes Cartier’s iconic Roman numeral indices as the movement bridges. This style of movement first made its appearance in last year’s dynamic Santos 100 Skeleton watch, which featured Roman XII, III, VI and IX indices integrated into its baseplate. In this new iteration, the Roman VI index makes way for the watch’s third signature flourish, Cartier’s in-house flying tourbillon. What is impressive is how all the weight of the tourbillon cage and the lithe gold balance and escapement within has been poised on the cage’s pinion. This, in turn, is fixed

onto the lowest point of a circular bridge seamlessly integrated into the center of the movement — a wonderful demonstration of Cartier’s ability to fuse watchmaking know-how and ne plus ultra aesthetic magic. Adding to this already exemplary timepiece’s portfolio of achievements is the Geneva Seal and an individually numbered certificate of origin confirming each movement’s subscription to the criteria set out by the Seal’s governing body.

Another example of witty horological clin d’œil, as our French friends refer to it, is the manner in which the watch’s winding stem is hidden behind the third column of the Roman III index. The simple logic of the gear train progressing vertically downwards from the

even as cartier marches unimpeded into the upper ranks of the horological heavyweights with countless technical acts of supremacy, it’s nice to know that the brand hasn’t discarded its unique vision of whimsy and poetry in time telling. At first glance, the Rotonde Folium de Durer looks like a classic three-handed watch, until you realize that its seconds hand is free to enact a dizzying dance through a seemingly random trajectory across the dial. In truth, the path of its motion is pre-described and takes the form of two overlapping eights — the perfect act of kinetic magic to remind us all of the preciousness of those fleeting seconds that comprise our lives.

FOLIUM DE DURERROTONDE

skeletonized barrel set in a ruby bearing just beneath the “Cartier” hallmark on the dial is exquisite. Interestingly, the mechanism for selecting between time setting, winding and neutral modes is showcased and receives stunning finish and hand-angling. Incidentally, for those with a penchant for amusing minutiae, the skeleton barrel can actually be used as a power reserve indicator, as a quick peek at the mainspring’s state of wind will let you know if it needs charging. Finally, and though this is purely speculative, we are inclined to think that the Roman indices that serve as bridges also suspend the movement, isolating the gear train — and most importantly, the tourbillon — from direct shocks to the case.

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By jack forster

ASTROTOURBILLONROTONDE DE CARTIER CARTIER

her manner is diffident to the point of self-effacement. Carole Forestier-Kasapi, Cartier’s head of high watchmaking movements, is headquartered in the venerable luxury house’s new manufactory in La Chaux-de-Fonds, a quiet town whose serene location in the mountains north of Lake Neuchâtel belies its importance as one of the centers of the Swiss watchmaking industry.

Forestier-Kasapi’s modest demeanor too belies both her experience and achievements. She once led the design bureau at Renaud & Papi, and has been the hitherto largely unsung hand and mind behind a whole range of complicated movements for various brands in the Richemont Group. Her latest creation, unveiled privately to a group of journalists in La Chaux-de-Fonds late in 2009 is a most dramatic variation on the tourbillon, known as the Rotonde de Cartier Astrotourbillon.

The tourbillon has in the last decade undergone an evolutionary explosion. Multi-axis tourbillons, multiple tourbillons engaged with each other via complex differential gearing systems, angled tourbillons, and (heaven forefend) “democratically” priced tourbillons from Chinese manufacturers have all conspired to drain the tourbillon of its aura of exclusivity, and to create the impression that it has been exhausted of creative potential.

It’s certainly true that the tourbillon, if executed really well, remains a legitimate exercise in horological craftsmanship. A really innovative tourbillon, however, is a rarity, and even when one is created, it must still pass the tests of genuine craftsmanship in execution, and genuine good taste in design.

It’s a pleasure to be able to say that the Astrotourbillon succeeds on all counts.

Classifying the tourbillonThe Astrotourbillon bears a superficial similarity to another project with which Carole Forestier-Kasapi has been associated — the Piaget Tourbillon Relatif. The Tourbillon Relatif is one of the many modern tourbillons that defy conventional classification. In the Tourbillon Relatif, the tourbillon carriage is mounted on one extremity of the minute hand, and rotates around its own axis as well as being carried once per hour around the circumference of the dial. The Astrotourbillon, on the other hand, is essentially an enormous one-minute central tourbillon. The fact that it is a central tourbillon makes it already extremely rare; but unlike most other central tourbillons, the Astrotourbillon’s balance is not co-axial with the center of the tourbillon carriage, but rather, it is located at its extremity. The bulk of the carriage is concealed,

and as it has a one-minute period of rotation, the balance moves around the circumference of the dial in one minute, functioning as a seconds hand (rather than the one-hour circumferential movement of the Piaget Tourbillon Relatif).

The question that arises is then how such a tourbillon should be classified. It’s common knowledge that the tourbillon was invented by Abraham-Louis Breguet, and patented in 1801. Most standard references, as well as WOSTEP (Watchmakers of Switzerland Training and Educational Program), define a tourbillon as a watch in which the carriage is driven by the third wheel of the train, and rotates around a fixed fourth wheel. In a classic tourbillon, the balance staff is co-axial with the center of the fixed fourth wheel, whose teeth engage the pinion of the escape wheel, causing it to rotate as it’s carried around the fixed fourth wheel. The escape wheel engages the lever which impulses the balance in the usual fashion.

WOSTEP makes a basic distinction

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between a conventional tourbillon and a “carousel” tourbillon. The difference between the two is that in the latter, the balance is not co-axial with the fixed fourth wheel and the center of rotation of the carriage. The best-known modern examples of a carousel tourbillon are those designed for Blancpain by Vincent Calabrese.

Carousel, not karruselAn almost incredible amount of confusion has resulted from the fact that a carousel tourbillon is often mistaken for a karrusel watch — a case of simple homophony leading to complete misunderstanding. The karrusel watch was invented by Danish watchmaker Bahne Bonniksen in the late 19th and early 20th century. In the karrusel, the fourth wheel, escape wheel, and balance are carried on a platform which is driven by the third wheel pinion, while the third wheel gear teeth proper engage with the pinion of the rotating fourth wheel, just as in a conventional watch. The tourbillon and the carousel tourbillon both have a fixed fourth wheel; the karrusel does not.

It’s sometimes said that one of the differences between a tourbillon and

a karrusel is that in the former, if the cage stops rotating, the balance will no longer oscillate; in the latter, you could theoretically stop the platform from rotating, but the balance would continue to receive power from the third, fourth and escape wheels. This is of course true only in theory, as actually blocking the rotation of the third wheel would, in a real karrusel watch, prevent both the fourth wheel and the platform from rotating. However, one could hypothetically cut the teeth off the platform, which would no longer turn as it would no longer be able to be driven by the third wheel pinion, and in such a case, the fourth wheel would still turn and drive the escape wheel, lever and balance. It’s useful also to remember that the karrusel was made only for a relatively short period of time, and that there is only one instance of a modern karrusel wristwatch that was made by Calabrese for Blancpain.

What, then, is the Cartier astrotourbillon? I hypothesized that the most accurate classification for the Cartier Astrotourbillon would be to call it a central carousel tourbillon (and a very large one at that). But to be absolutely certain, I

set up an international conference call with the technical team in La Chaux-de-Fonds, the lead international marketing team in Paris, and myself in New York! Carole Forestier-Kasapi acknowledges that the classification is correct, but with a word of caution. “The problem,” she says, “with the WOSTEP definition is that it’s incomplete. Increasingly, modern tourbillons do not easily fall into one of the two basic categories [conventional or carousel tourbillons].”

Despite the terminological conundrums she has created by designing the Cartier Astrotourbillon, the fact here is that she has created a very subtly beautiful watch. The tendency amongst many designers who specialize in unusual complicated watches is to make a design that somewhat wears its complexity on its sleeve. The complicated watches that Cartier has been adding to its haute horlogerie portfolio, on the other hand, take a refreshingly different approach, which is to maintain an elegance and light-handedness of design that is a genuine expression of the Cartier house aesthetic.

The Cartier manufactory at La Chaux-de-Fonds, and their presentation of the technically cutting-edge ID One concept watch, are clear indications of the firm’s extensive and serious investment and commitment to playing the high horology game for the long term. One can only wonder, with the imagination and teamwork now in place, what further unprecedented and innovative technical and aesthetic effects can be created.

Serious but never heavy-handed, and technically impeccable but constantly striving for elegance — the Cartier approach continues to provide much needed freshness of inspiration and integrity of execution to the world of watchmaking.

THE COMPLICATED WATCHES THAT CARTIER HAS BEEN

ADDING TO ITS HAUTE HORLOGERIE PORTFOLIO

TAKE A REFRESHINGLY DIFFERENT APPROACH

while cartier continues to assert its dominance in in-house complications, such as last year’s Revolution Award-winning Central Chronograph, or this year’s spectacular Rotonde de Cartier Skeleton Flying Tourbillon watch, there is always, according to the brand’s head of high watchmaking movements Carole Forestier-Kasapi, “room for collaboration with our historic partners”. One such partnership exists between Cartier and Audemars Piguet Renaud & Papi.

This year, these two houses have combined again to create the jaw-droppingly gorgeous tourbillon monopusher chronograph with perpetual calendar. As if the integration of these complications wasn’t enough, the entire plate has been excised of all but the barest hint of material to create a work of unprecedented openness and architectural majesty.

A single push of the large cabochon-set crown is enough to set the chronograph mechanism into action, propelling the enormous needle-thin, flame-blued hand around the dial. A subdial at three o’clock shows elapsed minutes and acts as the

GRANDE COMPLICATION ROTONDE DE CARTIER CARTIER

SQUELETTEBy wei koh

date indicator. The months are contained in the subdial at 12 o’clock while the final subdial at six o’clock keeps track of the days as well as the remaining power of the mainspring. Finally, the entire left side of the watch is dominated by a huge black-polished C-motif bridge that retains the pulsating tourbillon regulator beneath. H