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Cartier’s diamond delights
Watches and Wonders

Cartier’s diamond delights

Friday, 02 October 2015
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Christophe Roulet
Editor-in-chief, HH Journal

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3 min read

Inroads made in complication mechanisms should not distract from the fact that Cartier is also the “jeweller of kings”: a well-deserved epithet judging by the new creations on show in Hong Kong. The good news is, the jewellery segment is showing no signs of flagging.

All that glitters is Cartier at the third Watches&Wonders exhibition where the Maison, as befits its importance within the Richemont group, takes pride of place. A calculated move, given precious stones’ power of attraction on women, who account for a large part of the fair’s audience, the current state of the region’s economy, and the continued buoyancy of jewellery sales when watchmakers must contend with a more challenging climate, as figures for the year so far confirm. This is borne out by Arnaud Carrez, International Marketing and Communications Director at Cartier: “Generally speaking, Cartier is doing well in China with its 140 boutiques, principally in jewellery where brand names account for just 15% of the market. This gives some idea of the space available for a brand such as ours to expand. Cartier has had it in mind to develop this activity for a number of years, and understandably so, might I say, given that we are already a reference in jewellery and have been for a long time. Already in 1904, King Edward II dubbed Cartier “king of jewellers, jeweller of kings”. The festival of Fine Jewellery that we are presenting here in Hong Kong is part of the same trend.” Given the throngs of visitors to the booth, this particular festival was having no trouble attracting an audience for whom the Cartier name alone suffices.

Some one thousand hours to complete.

For its opening act, Cartier chose Heures Précieuses, three breathtaking High Jewellery watches and each a one-off creation. First Inca, a geometric, almost pyramidal form composed of diamonds and onyx. Next Cristallin, crowned with a cascade of diamonds in unison with rock crystal. Then the Koinobori Secret Watch, a cuff watch which suggests the scintillating movement of carp in diamonds and rubies. Each of these timepieces took some one thousand hours to complete for what Arnaud Carrez qualifies, with characteristic enthusiasm, as “exceptional results”. Nor were these the only examples of diamond-studded time in Cartier’s Windows.

Exclusivity above all

Clé de Cartier, which made its debut at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie in Geneva early in the year, was the natural choice to fly the Cartier colours in Asia. “This timepiece is the epitome of Cartier Fine Watchmaking because it is a creative watch in which a manufacture movement serves to further design,” commented Arnaud Carrez. “Like Ballon Bleu, to take a recent example, it will become a reference within our collections. It is writing a new chapter in Cartier watchmaking.” First to pick up the thread of the story at Watches&Wonders is Clé de Cartier Mysterious Hour Calibre 9981 MC, a watch whose movement and aesthetic make explicit reference to the legendary mystery clocks which Cartier made in the 1910s, inspired by the work of the famed illusionist Eugène Robert-Houdin. The hour and minute hands, floating witnesses to passing time, gravitate around the dial with no apparent connection. The plot continues with Clé de Cartier Flying Tourbillon Calibre 9452 MC whose movement is hallmarked with the Poinçon de Genève. Unsurprisingly, its case is covered with diamonds. More diamonds are to be found on three of the four Mysterious Hour styles, as if in response to the flashes of light from the High Jewellery display.

Rotonde de Cartier Astrocalendaire watch, tourbillon complication, perpetual calendar with circular display (Vincent Wulveryck © Cartier)

Admirers of rare, complicated mechanisms had no reason to feel left out. For them, the Maison presented five mahogany boxes containing three timepieces, each an emblem of Cartier Fine Watchmaking: a Rotonde Mysterious Double Tourbillon Calibre 9454 MC, a Rotonde Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon Calibre 9402 MC and a Rotonde Astrocalendar Calibre 9459 MC tourbillon perpetual calendar with circular display. All three are distinguished by the Poinçon de Genève and present a blue enamelled guilloché dial. “In times like these,” concludes Arnaud Carrez, “the notion of exclusivity is essential.” Something visitors to Cartier at Watches&Wonders are unlikely to forget.

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