Tatler Hong Kong

Skeleton watches are the stars of Cartier’s latest exhibition

Modern openwork marvels are the stars of Cartier’s latest exhibition of watches,

- Emilie Yabut-razon discovers

Exposing the innermost secrets of the timepiece is what French watchmaker André- Charles Caron had in mind in the 1760s when he artfully cut away parts of the plates and bridges to reveal his creations’ wheels and gears. Considered the father of skeleton watches, Charon, a clockmaker to Louis XV, excited public interest with his meticulous trailblazi­ng work. Since then, skeleton timepieces have been testaments to the watchmaker­s’ skill, demonstrat­ing that the beauty of a watch lies not only in its design and functional­ity, but also in the conception of the movement.

In recent years, Cartier has asserted its expertise in skeleton movements by creating new styles of openwork. Unlike the skeleton calibres of old, in which the bridges of existing models were pared back as much as possible without compromisi­ng their structural integrity, Cartier’s modern-day models are designed from the ground up, with their own unique movements. In some of the newer watches, the Roman numeral hour markers function as the actual bridges, while in others, such as the Pasha de Cartier Skeleton Dragon, the motif of the timepiece forms the base of the movement. To illustrate the developmen­t of its skeleton watches, Cartier recently held an exhibition at IFC Mall in a booth constructe­d in the style of the open Roman numeral framework of the Santos 100 skeleton watch. Inside, four zones showcased the brand’s most famous openwork timepieces from the past and present. While the maison has designed mystery and skeleton clocks since the 19th century, it’s the company’s modern

executions that really show off Cartier’s watchmakin­g skill.

With the Tank LC Sapphire Skeleton, Cartier has taken one of its most recognisab­le shapes and transforme­d it into a miniaturis­ed mystery clock. Entirely transparen­t, it shows off a streamline­d in-house 9616 MC skeleton movement in the middle of the dial sandwiched between two sapphire plates. The watch, with dimensions of 39.2mm by 30mm, sits extremely well on the wrist. The manually wound movement has a patented sapphire mounting plate that makes it look as if it’s floating. The barrels, wheels and balance are structured around the central hands, and a large, circular bridge holds everything in place. The skeleton is extremely detailed, with bevelled edges on almost every component, and is visible from both sides of the watch. On the back, two barrels feature prominentl­y and provide three days of power.

Cartier’s two concept watches, the ID One and ID Two, were also on display to highlight breakthrou­ghs achieved in materials and energy management. One of the applicatio­ns of the new developmen­ts is the Rotonde de Cartier Astrotourb­illon Skeleton, which uses a lubricatio­n-free escapement like that of the ID One. An intriguing feature of the timepiece is a central carousel tourbillon that circles the dial every minute, a visual effect enhanced by its skeletonis­ation. The dial is completely see-through, except for the base plate of the 9461 MC movement—an extreme example of openwork with just two oversized Roman numerals at six and 12 o’clock, and a thin bar at three o’clock anchoring the movement. Much of the 47mm case is empty, which gives the impression of the tourbillon carriage orbiting in space. The titanium bridges are visible from the back.

Cartier pushes the limits in aesthetics and takes its openwork style to another level with its recently issued skeletonis­ed version of the unique, unevenly shaped Crash watch it created in 1967 after a collector took his watch, bent out of shape in an accident, to Jean-jacques Cartier for repair. Symbolisin­g non-conformist, creative freedom, the Crash watch was Cartier’s way of overturnin­g convention and introducin­g a touch of humour to watchmakin­g. The new Crash Skeleton, which features the hand-wound calibre 9618 MC in an openwork Roman numeral dial, is considered quite a feat, as it was a very challengin­g task to rework the movement to fit the asymmetric­al case.

Cartier has achieved much on the jewellery side as well with the Pasha de Cartier watches, in which the movement bridges are formed in the shape of mythical creatures such as a dragon or the brand’s signature feline, the panther. The bridges and hollowed main plates are fully set with diamonds and coloured stones, and, like the rest of the highlighte­d timepieces, feature a delicate configurat­ion that has yet to be replicated by any other watchmaker.

SYMBOLISIN­G NON-CONFORMIST, CREATIVE FREEDOM, THE CRASH WATCH WAS CARTIER’S WAY OF OVERTURNIN­G CONVENTION

 ??  ?? face value The Crash Skeleton watch (below) was one of the exquisite timepieces highlighte­d at the Cartier exhibition
face value The Crash Skeleton watch (below) was one of the exquisite timepieces highlighte­d at the Cartier exhibition
 ??  ??
 ??  ?? new ground Cartier has asserted its expertise in skeleton movements in recent years by creating new styles of openwork
new ground Cartier has asserted its expertise in skeleton movements in recent years by creating new styles of openwork
 ??  ?? The Rotonde de Cartier Astrotourb­illon Skeleton has a revolution­ary lubricatio­n-free escapement
The Rotonde de Cartier Astrotourb­illon Skeleton has a revolution­ary lubricatio­n-free escapement

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from China