An exceptional rarity

Cartier is one of the most aspirational brands in the world yet, as out of reach as its timepieces may be for many, we can still find vicarious pleasure in the mystique of its narrative and aesthetic expressions, which have taken inspiration and nomenclature from pop culture, the nuances of the everyday, and the magic of nature for 177 years.

Among its watches, the Cartier Tortue (“turtle” in French) may not be as recognisable as, say, the Tank, but it has great significance within the archive of the maison. It predates the Tank by six years, with the first time-only model released in 1912. By 1928, the Tortue collection included a minute repeater and the now incredibly rare single-button chronograph, the Monopoussoir, Cartier’s first chronograph featuring an exclusive movement created by European Watch & Clock Co. — a joint venture with Jaeger-LeCoultre.

Given that one of the smallest mechanical chronographs on the market today is an unusual 36.2mm diameter Blancpain, the original Tortue monopusher was also remarkable considering that a traditional column-wheel chronograph movement with horizontal clutch was fitted into a watch measuring only 35mm x 25mm without compromising its integrity (information courtesy of Phillips from an example circa 1930, which sold at auction in 2021 for CHF 189 000 — around R4-million).

The Tortue was revisited in 1998 as part of Cartier’s effort to re-establish its profile in haute horology following the quartz crisis. Exceptional timepieces with mechanical movements were created for the Collection Privée Cartier Paris (CPCP), including a new Tortue Monopoussoir with a larger, finessed case design with a thicker bezel, more pronounced cabochon crown, guilloche dial, and the new manual calibre 045MC developed by movement studio Techniques Horlogères Appliquées.

Produced in limited numbers for only 10 years, these CPCP novelties are also very rare. Somewhat paradoxical, this gentleperson’s chronograph makes a timely return through Cartier Privé as the eighth archival model to be revisited for the new “collector’s collection” launched in 2017. The new Tortue is produced in three limited numbered-production time-only and two monopusher-chronograph novelties in platinum and yellow gold. At 32.9mm x 41.4mm, the polished case design is similar in size to that of earlier CPCP models yet slimmer in profile and with a more curvaceous appearance, thanks to a slight nip-and-tuck at the lugs.

These novelties honour the original timepieces with crisp, symmetrical dials — subtle grained gold finish for the yellow-gold and silvered opaline for the platinum editions — featuring the characteristic outer Chemin de Fer “railway” minute track and bold Roman-numeral track, punched by sub dials at 3 and 9 o’clock on the chronographs.

The elegant Breguet-style “apple” hands are also a nod to its origins, with blue-steel hands for chonographs and monochromatic for time-only pieces. The “secret” signature is introduced on the dial at 7 o’clock. A generous open case back reveals the beautifully worked new hand-wound in-house calibre 1928MC column-wheel chronograph of the monopusher which, at 4.3mm thick, is Cartier’s thinnest chronograph. Time-only models are limited to 200 in yellow gold and 50 in platinum. An additional platinum model is presented with a diamond-set case. The Monopoussoir is limited to 200 numbered editions in each metal. POA, cartier.com and Cartier Boutique Sandton 011 666 2800