Cartier Rotonde de Cartier Mysterious Astrotourbillon Watch

With the Rotonde de Cartier Astrotourbillon skeleton watch, Cartier explores a movement conceived and developed by the Maison’s master watchmakers in 2016 after five years of development at the Cartier Manufacture in La Chaux-de- Fonds in Switzerland.

Today, Cartier places it at the centre of an ultra-graphic dial with a grey case back and silver-coloured transferred numerals. Due to its complex structure, the tourbillon lends itself to a play of geometry and transparency. This fascinating movement presents two major peculiarities that make it a unique tourbillon. First and foremost, the tourbillon carriage has a specific rotation axis situated at the centre of the movement. The design process was therefore totally different in comparison with that of the gear train, from the two barrels of the movement to the minutes and hours display. Secondly, this tourbillon carriage is positioned “above” the movement and not directly integrated into the movement, as is the case with a classic tourbillon. These precise mechanics form the basis of a signature aesthetic that takes its shape from the principles dictated by the Maison’s design vision: clean lines, radical design, and the importance of aesthetics.

The entirely skeleton movement displays oversized Roman numerals, a Cartier signature, acting as bridges. The winding crown is set with an aventurine cabochon matching the colour of the alligator-skin strap.