It's no coincidence that some of the most beautiful watches in the world come from one company: Cartier.
For more than a century, Cartier, a name recognized for its high-end fine jewelry, has also been responsible for countless innovations in the watch category for both design and function, ever since Cartier created the first modern men's wristwatch in 1904.
Since then, the luxury brand has made distinctive timepieces that have reached rare status and are on the wish lists of watch enthusiasts everywhere.
Here's a closer look at five of them:
Leave it to Cartier to create a sophisticated wristwatch that’s truly out of this world (quite literally), both in its design and in its functionality. The Rotonde de Cartier Earth and Moon gets its name from the sub-dial that represents the earth in combination with the moon-phase indicator hidden under the four o’clock Roman numeral.
The watch looks high-end but is equally as impressive under the hood. Thanks to its 362 parts that work in complete synchrony, the moon phase is offset by just one day every 126 years for unparalleled precision. Adding to its allure, only 50 numbered pieces were created.
Anyone who still believes all perpetual calendars on wristwatches are created equal hasn’t experienced the Cartier Astrocalendaire. The watch’s one-of-a-kind perpetual calendar automatically accounts for the days of each month, including leap years, so the next time the calendar will need to be updated is 2100.
That, paired with a revolutionary multitiered amphitheater design tastefully displaying all the elements of the calendar, have helped the Astrocalendaire achieve Poinçon de Genève certification. This is a quality seal awarded to watches created in Geneva with the utmost exceptional craftsmanship and fine watchmaking expertise.
Tourbillon watches are fairly commonplace these days, but few watchmakers have managed to create one that is timeless in design with the technical prowess to match. That’s where Cartier has managed to create separation from the competition, with its Rotonde de Cartier Tourbillon Chronograph.
After all, any time you have a watch with an eight-day power reserve and a sophisticated combination of complications — a tourbillon and a chronograph — as well as premium finishes like an 18-karat pink-gold case with a blue sapphire cabochon crown, you know you're dealing with something extraordinary. But with just 50 pieces ever put into existence, the chances of getting one onto your wrist are very slim.
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