Cartier Privé

A select curation for collectors and connoisseurs, Cartier Privé celebrates the different shapes of men’s watches through the Maison’s iconic models. A new chapter following the reinterpretation of the crash watch in 2015 and the tank Cintrée in 2017.

Cartier seizes this moment to drive forward watchmaking, its advanced technology serving the exacting requirements of design. Movements and calibres adjust to the imperatives of form, adapting their shape to signature creations of timeless beauty, issued in limited editions.

THE STARTING POINT: A VISIONARY’S WATCH!

This year Cartier shines the spotlight on one of its oldest wristwatches, the Tonneau watch. Revealed in 1906, after the Santos watch in 1904, it once again challenged the tradition of round pocket watches. Tonneau? “Tonneau”, meaning “Barrel”, may seem a funny name for a watch, especially for a model that would become the precursor of modern watches.
At the time it was still an oddity, but its shape was both strong and pure. The dial is on the cusp between a rectangle and an oval; the case curves slightly, tendering one of the first significant modifications aimed at fitting it better to the wrist. Cartier coated it in platinum to emphasise its avant-garde aesthetics in an era when many watches were made of gold. The “vis armurier” tube screws adorning the lugs demonstrate how attention to detail was already in evidence around 1910. By combining a leather strap – a simple, natural material – with precious metals, Louis Cartier underlined its beauty. The watch was “modern” and people liked it.
This year, Cartier celebrates this legendary watch shape with a redesigned hours and minutes model and a skeleton dual time zone model, taking watch aesthetics to another level.

THE TONNEAU WATCH

Two brackets in pink gold or platinum create an oblong, curved shape that follows the contours of the wrist.
Roman numerals, a railtrack, a cabochon on the winding crown, leather strap, screws on the lugs – the codes of Cartier watchmaking are all there. The watch is undeniably true to the original 1906 model, even though everything has been reworked to fulfil modern-day demands such as ensuring the watch is perfectly water-resistant. The bezel on this Tonneau watch is formed from one block, with no overhang or breaks in the plane. Its contours and lugs melt into the watchcase.
Polished, rhodium-plated numerals stand out against the dial background – champagne-coloured on the pink gold version, silvered on the platinum model.
In pink gold or in platinum with a ruby cabochon and issued as a numbered limited edition of 100 pieces, all models are fitted with the new 1917 MC Manufacture calibre.

TONNEAU WATCH
LARGE MODEL, PLATINUM
GREY ALLIGATOR LEATHER STRAP
MANUAL MOVEMENT 1917 MC
NUMBERED LIMITED EDITION OF 100 PIECES

CALIBRE 1917 MC
MANUFACTURE MECHANICAL MOVEMENT WITH MANUAL WINDING

ENCASING DIAMETER: 7 LINES ¼ X 5 LINES ¾
TOTAL DIMENSION: 16 MM X 12.9 MM
THICKNESS: 2.9 MM
NUMBER OF JEWELS: 19
NUMBER OF PARTS: 121
FREQUENCY VIBRATIONS/HOUR: 21,600 VIBRATIONS/HOUR
POWER RESERVE: 38 HOURS MINIMUM