The Cartier Rotonde De Cartier Astrotourbillon Skeleton for 2015.

The Cartier Rotonde De Cartier Astrotourbillon Skeleton for 2015.

One of the biggest issues with fully skeletonized watches is that some people really don’t like to see their wrist right through the dial of the watch. The idea of a skeletonized watch is to fully “cut away” the unnecessary metal in a movement leaving just the essential pieces behind. I don’t find “the full view” to be a bad thing, even though I don’t always want to stare at a hairy wrist when trying to appreciate the beauty of hand-engraving.

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The Cartier Rotonde De Cartier Astrotourbillon Skeleton’s movement is very much minimalized, showing just how simple even something this complicated-looking can be. Cartier offers a very modern version of skeletonization and movement decoration focusing on the contrast between brushed surfaces and polished beveled edges. Even the 12 and 6 hour indicator markers are carved out of what holds the movement in place.

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Inside the Cartier Rotonde De Cartier Astrotourbillon Skeleton is the in-house-made caliber 9461 MC manually wound movement made from 233 parts, operating at 3Hz (21,600 bph). It has 49 hours of power reserve – and appreciate that the Astrotourbillon hand requires a lot of power given its weight. The watch itself is for sure on the larger side, being 47mm wide in 18k white gold, and 15.8mm thick.

The sober “tuxedo” tones of the watch add to its mystique, and I think it looks better in white gold than it might in, say, rose gold. Watching the movement in action and seeing the balance wheel on the seconds hand constantly moving around is a real pleasure and a highlight of what Cartier has accomplished here. Then again, a watch like this should offer all of that, given the price.

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The size of the Cartier Rotonde De Cartier Astrotourbillon Skeleton says “bold and sporty” but the design says “classy and elegant.” Together, they make for a watch series with a unique personality, but that is okay given the rarity of these watches and their built-in level of exclusivity. While many people don’t think twice about getting a more basic luxury watch from Cartier, collectors still take a lot of time before making decisions about very high-end models such as this – especially because it is still new for Cartier and there is, frankly, a lot of competition (even though Cartier certainly stands out and holds its own with ease).

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The Cartier Rotonde De Cartier Astrotourbillon Skeleton comes on a black alligator strap and combines that core Cartier French luxury wearing experience with the pleasure of having a finely made mechanical Swiss movement. For those who have the means and appreciation, this skeletonized version of the Rotonde Astrotourbillon isn’t a bad choice. Price is $186,000. cartier.com


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