Imagine an evening watch in white gold, made entirely of baguette-cut and brilliant-cut diamonds, with the addition of fifteen oval rubies that leave the diamonds somewhat in the shade. The Trait d’Eclat is one of twenty or so high jewellery watches unveiled by Cartier at the SIHH, with precious stones this year’s focus. The rubies’ ascendancy over the diamonds in the Trait d’Eclat is symbolic, given that the purest and most prestigious rubies – including the prized pigeons’-blood Burmese rubies – are rarer than diamonds, and for many years were considered more valuable.
The ruby is a favoured stone at Cartier, and it has played an important role in the stylistic and historic evolution of the Maison. From the early 20th century Cartier Watches Tank Replica began using rubies, known in India as the queen of gems, in the opulent pieces it created for the maharajas. In the ancient world, the ruby was a symbol of happiness, as well as being the stone of lovers. It is the protagonist of many romantic feminine creations, including the iconic Cartier tiara worn by Princess Grace at her marriage to Prince Rainier in 1956, and the suite of jewellery given to Elizabeth Taylor by Mike Todd at around the same time.
An essential development was the automated 1904MC caliber that was presented in 2011. A thin automatic caliber with 48 hours of power reserve, including the time using a subsidiary seconds dial @ 6 along with also a date complication. Cartier made sure that it had sufficient differences compared to the majority of the foundation movements offered by ETA. The ‘Calibre de Cartier’ was the very first watch that was powered with the 1904MC, but soon after Cartier began the use the caliber as the foundation for various Chronographs and Perpetual Calendar calibers.The brand new Calibre Diver, that was launched this past year, is also powered using the 1904MC. It’s the first diver watch for Cartier and can be, believe it or not, the slimmest Diver in the world. To get a diver watch that’s quite flat, when compared to for example — the renowned Rolex Submariner that has a height of 12,5mm or the Rolex Sea-Dweller DeepSea that steps 17,68mm. As it should be, the back of the case is closed and the bezel is self-lubricating and unidirectional, steel coated with ADLC, a substance that is harder than steel. The sapphire crystal that’s 1.2mm thicker than that of their standard ‘Calibre de Cartier’ model, makes sure that it can withstand the water resistance of 300m, which is the same as the Submariner and greater compared to 100m water resistance of Panerai versions in precisely the same price category.A watch that directly took advantage from the technology of the ID-ONE is the Astro Tourbillon Carbon Crystal that was introduced in 2013, at a limited edition of 50 pieces. This new ‘Astro Tourbillon Carbon Crystal’ was released at a Niobium metal case, a lightweight and non-magnetic alloy, that resists rust, scratches and shocks also it has the carbon escapement of the ID-ONE. This view is the Worlds first escapement adjustment-free and lubrication free tourbillon. If support on the movement can now be reduced to (almost) none, the skies is going to be the limit for the future creation of Cartier’s tourbillon models.
The flamboyance of rubies contrasts with the icy fire of diamonds, and the Trait d’Eclat watch is a prime example of this dramatic combination. The fifteen stones, with their combined weight of 24.93 carats, glow a deep red with silvery-pink accents, a colouring typical of rubies from Mozambique, which today are as highly reputed as Burmese rubies. The oval rubies form a strip of colour, offset by diamonds, around the case of the teardrop-shaped white gold watch face, and continue out along the slender bracelet. The diamond-paved dial of this discreet watch, nestled in the centre of its fiery coil, conceals the famous manually-wound Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 101. Given that Cartier Watch 26/50 Replica and Jaeger-LeCoultre both belong to the Richemont group, it should come as no surprise that the jeweller should have turned once again to the legendary Calibre 101.
