Cartier Rotonde de Cartier central chronograph

Celebrating their 100 years, Cartier has been unveiling several unique timepieces. One that I am particularly a fan of is the Cartier Rotonde de Cartier central chronograph. The creative design of the dial is what caught my eye. It actually features a two-level dial. The lower dial displays the time, featuring Roman numeral hour markings and blue colored hands. Partially covering the hour hands is the upper dial, operating as the chronograph. The arc shaped aperture displays the 30-minute counter while the second hand sweeps along the upper dial.

The eye-catching dial isn’t the only new element of the Cartier Rotonde de Cartier central chronograph. Inside the 42mm pink gold case lives the new 9907 MC caliber movement, designed and manufactured in house by Cartier. The new movement contains 272 parts and is designed to reduce the energy consumption of the chronograph function. Instead of a cam system, the movement features a column wheel with vertical coupling system for the chronograph.

Usually extending out fairly far from the case, the crown is one of the most unique characteristics of a Cartier watch. Consistent with other models, the elegant Rotonde de Cartier features a classy screw in crown with the typical blue cap on the end. As mentioned earlier, the design is extremely creative. Cartier has registered for a patent on the design of the dial as well as the position of the chronograph.