Clé de Cartier’s sleek, classic beauty

MANILA, Philippines –  Intrinsic to Cartier’s history as a creative watchmaker is a spirit of innovation. Creativity, passion and pure excellence are the keys to a success that has endured for more than a hundred years. The same qualities at the very heart of Clé de Cartier.

A Cartier timepiece is always a work in three dimensions, a quasi-architectural exercise. The Maison has traditionally placed great emphasis on the volumetric qualities of its designs, creating models characterized by strong lines and distinctive forms. Clé de Cartier is no exception. In one graceful swoop, it introduces a new element into the mason’s watchmaking vocabulary: the tightly-drawn curve. In profile, it is arched, streamlined and sleek, organic and ergonomic. Its sensual shape fits snugly to the wrist, providing ease and congeniality to the wearer. In true Cartier style, it feels as good as it looks. Perfectly poised to one side, the element that gives the new model its name: its jewel-like, key-like crown.

Shapes are pared down and reduced to their essence. Everything is a question of precision, balance and proportion. Sharp edges were eliminated. The bezel is gently rounded, the horns smoothly tapered.

"Clé" in French means key, and the crown’s resemblance to one is unmistakable. The act of resetting the time and date introduces a new gesture to the world of watchmaking — one that recalls the traditional turning of a key to wind up a clock. Its sizeable dimensions make the crown remarkably easy to handle. But functionality is not its sole asset. It is also an exquisite object in its own right. Elongated and pure, it is adorned with a sapphire that is not set in a classical manner. Instead, it is ingeniously inserted to remain flush with the metal surrounding it.

The new indexed winding mechanism combines both facility and conviviality. Specially developed with user-friendliness in mind, it incorporates a system that allows the time to be set with great ease. After making adjustments, it is possible to push the crown back in place and return it to its vertical position without the hands moving.

In the Philippines, Cartier is exclusively distributed by Stores Specialists, Inc., a member of SSI Group, Inc., and is located at Greenbelt 4, Rustan’s Makati, Rustan’s Shangri-la and Newport Resorts World.