Cartier Tortue XXL Multiple Time Zone SIHH 2013

SJX's 2013 SIHH report introduces the Cartier Tortue XXL Multiple Time Zone, an inventive complication previously seen in the Calibre de Cartier. This article provides a detailed look at the watch's dual time display with world time function, housed in the classic Tortue XXL case. SJX meticulously describes its unique dial decoration, home time indicator, and innovative cities disc for local time adjustment.

This inventive multi-time zone movement was first presented in the sporty Calibre de Cartier case. For 2013 it is additionally available in the more classically styled Tortue XXL case. Based on the in-house 1904 MC movement, the Tortue Multi Time Zone is essentially a dual time display watch with world time function.

Decorated with a lacquered representation of most of the world, the dial has two levels, with the home time display on the lower half of the dial. The reason for the home time display runs from six to six, rather than a 24 hour scale, is the sun and moon hand which distinguishes between day and night in the home time zone (pictured below is the sun tip of the hand).

A pusher at two o’clock advances the Breguet style, local time hands on the dial. Those hands are linked to a cities disc, visible through a sapphire window on the side of the case.

That cities disc has two rows in order to account for summer time. The icons engraved on the case indicate that the top row is used for the Northern hemisphere in winter and the Southern hemisphere in summer, and vice versa for the lower row.

Functionally this is identical to the Calibre de Cartier Multi Time Zone, save for the jetlag indicator which the Calibre has but is missing here. That indicates the difference between the local and home time, which was interesting but not especially useful, so in a sense this Tortue Multi Time Zone is a pure version of the same movement.

The case is 51 mm long by 45.6 mm wide, and is 17.2 mm high. In rose gold it will retail for about EUR29,500 and in white gold it is expected to sell for EUR31,600. There will also be a fully diamond paved white gold model for about EUR170,000.

- SJX