Cartier

Cartier event at the Hall of Time Boutique in Brussels

 

The Hall of Time Boutique organized last Wednesday and last Thursday two events to present to the guests a comprehensive overview of the Cartier collection including the Haute Horlogerie one. I had the chance to attend the Thursday event and I would like to share with you this report.

First of all, the surprise for me was that the  Boutique was fully and nicely decorated under the Cartier banner: entrance, displays, colours...

The second surprise was the use for the cocktail of a sushis conveyor belt! Actually, it was the first one I saw one specially put in place for an event inside a Boutique!

The third surprise, even if it was not that surprising, was the presence of some PuristSPro fellows!

The fourth surprise was the touch of charm and glamour thanks to the lovely Véronique de Kock who is a former Miss Belgium.

The fith surprise was the setup of a watchmaker workbench!

And last surprise... was the opportunity to see 8 watches from the Haute Horlogerie collection!

The atmosphere was warm despite a quite cold weather outside and the guests appreciated a lot to discover this unknown facet from Cartier. Cartier is of course one of a most well known brand in the world but when someone has the wish to buy a high-end watch,it is not Cartier name which springs to his mind first. We are aware here at PuristSPro of this ambition, of the investment in skills, talents, developments from Cartier to become a very credible player on this field. But for a larger audience, it is something which is only starting to become more tangible. This kind of event helps a lot in this perspective.There are much more proposals than the classic Santos or the Ballon Bleu within the Cartier collection and the guests could judge the innovative ideas, especially in terms of displays of the different Haute Horlogerie timepieces.

Let's enter the Boutique...

The watchmaker is working on a movement but also on a Calibre case:

Mrs and Mr Bimbeano couldn't miss such event!

The warm atmosphere of the event:

Mr Lefebvre, from Cartier and Mr Hankard, owner of the Boutique, give further explanations about one of the Haute Horlogerie timepieces to a guest:

The already famous sushis conveyor belt which was especially put in place for the event:

Devil is in the details... maybe... but the details are also what makes the difference between a successful event and a so so one... look at this superb Champagne bottle!

The central Totem is totally dedicated to display the Haute Horlogerie timepieces during the two evenings:

The beautiful Véronique de Kock proudly wears a Santos with a diamonds set case:

And she also wears a Ballon Bleu:

I couldn't miss the opportunity to wear her watch!

Mrs Bimbeano, me, Véronique de Kock and Mr Bimbeano who seems to really enjoy the party:

Let's have a closer look on the watches now!

This Rotonde with jumping Hours display is a very charming watch with a great work on the dial. I like the way the minutes are displayed, you can fully enjoy the jump of the hours. This Rotonde is a very rare case of a Jumping Hour watch with roman figures:

The 9905 Handwind movement:

The size is the right one for me (42mm, large enough to enjoy the dial finishings) but a smaller version would be fine too.

This Calibre Flying Tourbillon is an impressive watch but I would prefer it with a smaller case. Even if it is comfortable on the wrist, I found it a bit too bulky (45mm):

The watch has a powerful design:

The Rotonde AstroTourbillon is large too (47mm)  but it can be explained by the Tourbillon system. We obviously think about the Limelight Tourbillon from Piaget even if both watches don't have the same Tourbillon behaviours. The Cartier has a more readable dial in my point of view. Actually, each watch has its own charm and they share in common the feeling of depth on the dial.

An hypnotizing watch:

I was less convinced by the Calibre  Chronographe Central, I didn't find the minutes counter so easy to read even if the concept brings fresh ideas to this complication. The watch has a 45mm diameter.

Two Calibre watches, two different complications, the same care of details on the dials:

The Santos-Dumont Squelette offers an alternative aesthetical approach within the collection. it is classic, original, sportive and elegant at the same time. Again, the watch is big (47,4x38,7mm) but still comfortable. I find the Roger Dubuis influence on this one.

For me, the word "squelette" is inappropriate due to the fact that the movement was conceived to get this specific architecture which is even more impressive. But on the other hand, I would have prefered a sort of "half-open" movement in order to hide the hairs while the watch is on the wrist.

An UFO on the wrist... but still very Cartier:

Speaking about half-open dials, the Tortue Perpetual Calendar is an excellent example of use of this technique. This kind of work may be dangerous with a PC watch because it can really spoil the readability. But here it works very fine thanks to the date and day displays.

Again, we are in the territory of large cases (45,6x51mm):

I was more convinced by the Rotonde Chronograph than by the Calibre one. I found the Rotonde more readable with this dial system which makes us think a little about the Roth Papillon. I like the concept of the chronograph functions in the center of the watch and of the time display around. A really beautiful and elegant watch.

We find again the Flying Tourbillon in the context of the Tank Américaine. Thanks to its shape (35,8x52mm), the thickness of the gadroons, its curve, this Tank is much more original than the Calibre. I like it a lot even if I would have prefered a specific rectangular movement for it.

To put an end to this report, I propose this picture which gives you a good idea of the broad side of the Haute Horlogerie collection. Tortue and Rotonde together, two opposite styles, two complications and two symbols of the Cartier will to propose an ambitious Haute Horlogerie collection.

I would like to thank a lot the staff of Cartier and of Hall of Time for the perfect organization of this event.

Fr.Xavier

This message has been edited by foversta on 2011-10-23 09:36:15