It turns out the Chris Edwards from Oscar Hunt Tailors has something of a knack for finding the right threads to go with the right wristwear. Not only has he tailored a suit to perfectly match a watch, he’s also given us some solid advice on how to wear a gold watch with grace and style. So we decided to test Chris’s sartorial skills one more time, finding four distinct looks for four versions of a most distinctive watch – the Clé de Cartier.
Watchmaker-jeweller or jeweler-watchmaker, Cartier excels in both. Monochromes brings together some of the most iconic Cartier masterpieces born from a unique perception of masculine elegance: sheer dandyism and the mastery of shapes.From the rich tradition, and as evidenced again recently with the introduction of the Drive, the Parisian Maison has drawn an unrivalled legacy in creating fascinating shaped watches.
Just about now, some of you are thinking “A Cartier dive watch? Great, I’ll wear it with my neoprene tux.” If something like that crossed your mind, read on, and be educated. The International Organization for Standards, or ISO, is well known to watch enthusiasts. Just about everyone knows the magic numbers -4 to +6. They are part of ISO 3159 governing mechanical wrist chronometers. ISO 1413 sets standards for shock-resistant watches, and ISO 764 covers antimagnetic watches. There’s also an ISO standard for dive watches: number 6425. We took an in-depth look at it in this article. Our test watch meets this ISO standard. Many so-called dive watches do not.
Ever since Cartier released the 41mm-wide version of the Cartier Clé luxury watch with the “mysterious hours” complication (hands-on here), I’ve been quietly in love with this still newer case design as the foundation of interesting, more high-end models that are nevertheless simple in their presentation (the Cartier Clé collection as a whole was introduced at SIHH 2015). SIHH 2016 sees the debut of the Clé de Cartier Automatic Skeleton, which takes Cartier’s now popular in-house-made and distinctly skeletonized watch movements a step further by adding automatic winding – a first for a movement of this type produced by Cartier.
Skeletonized mechanical watches are enjoying a sort of new golden age because the visually very satisfying decoration process also happens to help watch lovers justify why they spend the big bucks on luxury timepieces. It isn’t always enough to have a mental reminder that your high-end timepiece contains a nice movement – sometimes you want a constant reminder on your wrist. Moreover, the skeletonization process offers a very real view into the operation of these tiny machines which track the time. The emotional enjoyment one receives from viewing the moving gears, beating regulation system, and hand-finished surfaces should never be underestimated.
The remainder of our selections feature Cartier’s own manufacture movements. If you seek one of these, look no further than Cartier’s recently released Tank MC. The “MC” stands for Manufacture Cartier, signifying the movement’s origins. Dating to 1917, the Tank design has certainly achieved icon status. Though it follows in a time-honored line, the Tank MC is an all-new design with modern dimensions. At 44 x 34 x 9.5 mm with slightly curved lugs, the Tank MC hits the Goldilocks “just right” zone on the wrist, and it plays well with dress-shirt cuffs.
