Cartier brings a new and refined perspective to the Perpetual Calendar feature, one of the indispensable complications of luxury watchmaking.
Before getting to the model, I think it is useful to underline that the Rotonde de Cartier Astrocalendaire Perpetual Calendar concept is not a brand new model. The models offered by the brand to watch enthusiasts at the 2014 and 2017 SIHH exhibitions could not make the world of watches talk as much as they deserve, perhaps due to the promotional support given to the prominent model families of the year or maybe due to their relatively high prices.
The Astrocalendaire is in the brand's Rotonde de Cartier product group, but let me say that the watch we have here under the spotlight is nothing like the Rotonde de Cartier models you are used to seeing. Astrocalendaire comes in a 45mm diameter and 15.1mm thick case, which we can call oversized for a Cartier. The case made of 18K rose gold is accompanied by a crown made of the same material and adorned with a cabochon cut blue sapphire. The case, with scratch-resistant sapphire crystals on both sides, can withstand 30 meters / 3 bars of water pressure. The case, which has a recessed button for adjusting the day function on the right side, features large, flat-head screws on the lugs.
Everything seems ordinary so far but, when you start examining the dial, you understand what you are facing. The dial, which has a unique design, is made of 18K white gold with a sunray Guilloché pattern. The time is displayed by the blue hour and minute hand just below the Cartier logo placed at 12. When you go down, you see the Perpetual Calendar display that looks like an amphitheater and the Flying Tourbillon at the center. It may not be a novelty to use these two heavy-hitter complications of the watch world in the same model, but it is clear that there is no other brand/model that positions them in this way.
The indicator of the Perpetual Calendar feature, which covers a large part of the dial, consists of three intertwined discs. Date, month, and day of the week functions are read from the display (from outside to inside) sequentially. Aside from being unusual, if you do not have a problem with seeing near, what you have here is the most easily legible Perpetual Calendar display ever. The leap year indicator, which we are familiar with from the Perpetual Calendar models, is placed on the back of the case. In the middle of the display stands the one-minute Flying Tourbillon in all its glory.
Behind all this is the Caliber 9459 MC movement, which successfully represents Cartier's current place in luxury watchmaking. The self-winding manufacture caliber consists of a total of 382 parts, 51 of which are jewels. The movement operates at a frequency of 3Hz (21.600vph) and offers up to 50 hours of power reserve when fully wound. Wound by a Cartier signed and perforated oscillating rotor that can be enjoyed through the sapphire crystal display case back, the movement bears the "Poinçon de Genève" seal, one of the most prestigious qualifications of the Swiss Watch Industry.
Cartier Rotonde de Cartier Astrocalendaire Perpetual Calendar Rose Gold Ref. WHRO0027 comes on an anthracite-tone hand-stitched alligator strap that is secured by a Cartier signed 18K rose gold folding clasp, one of the brand's signature details.
