Cartier

No Love for Clé ?

Cartier released these back in SiHH 2015 and discontinued them sometime last year?

Does anyone know why is this Clé (The Key) family not much talked about?

Is it because back then there wasn’t much IG, Social Media and influencers to “promote” it? Or is it because they were all precious metals hence the market wasn’t that ready back then?

It’s got curves, shapes, sizes, fancy crown with heritage to old style clock blah blah…all the Cartier strength or “key ingredients”.

I wonder if these were released in 2020 and appearing in IG, auctions etc, will the Clé be the Key to Success?

I can’t find much reviews or articles about this Clé on the web, but WPS did have quite a few, another testament to how great this place is for watch related resource.

Any owners here like to share their experiences?

Photo credit Haute Time.

www.hautetime.com

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I liked it.

By: patrick_y : November 13th, 2023-04:37

But at the time, The Cle wasn't distinct enough. The case is a very 1950s/60s style. And the crown wasn't super distinctive like Pasha. Buyers of Cartier typically go for "obvious" designs and the Ballon Bleu was the hot item amongst housewives. I've even...

Pretty well said, Patrick.

By: Brandon Skinner : November 13th, 2023-06:08

I used to work for a Cartier AD and I got the feeling women didn't view the Cle as an aesthetic upgrade over the more common/historical offerings in the Cartier lineup nor the almighty Ballon Bleu. One thing for sure is the crown was a pain in the arse to...

Thanks for these insights…..

By: Clueless_Collector : November 13th, 2023-06:14

I liked how you described the practicality of the crown, lol….a main feature of this watch 😅 Who knows in future these might make a comeback in next century, when Cartier looked at their “archives”, like history repeating itself now with the Chinoise, Nor...

I liked it too.

By: patrick_y : November 14th, 2023-19:56

I liked the case. I found the crown finicky but that sapphire gave it a lot of Cartier dna. I saw it being launched at SIHH and I liked it but I had my doubts that it would be a big commercial success like Ballon Bleu.

I quite like that one. For men or for women?

By: amanico : November 13th, 2023-12:03

This one is 41mm, so I think it’s for men’s but nowadays, the boundary seems gone, especially with case sizes, unless there are diamonds…

By: Clueless_Collector : November 13th, 2023-18:04

Even if there are blings, we will still wear them too 😬😅

Well, I would gladly wear that one!

By: amanico : November 13th, 2023-21:12

Same here....but my wallet may not like it, haha.

By: Clueless_Collector : November 13th, 2023-21:58

Neither does mine... ;)

By: amanico : November 13th, 2023-22:04

I think the Cle line is appealing —I tried one on about the time they were being discontinued — I found the crown a bit idiosyncratic.

By: orahu : November 13th, 2023-12:10

Interesting description on the crown…wish I had the chance to mess with it.

By: Clueless_Collector : November 13th, 2023-18:05

The mysterious hours is the only cle I liked aesthetically. But for the price point of the mysterious hours I‘d always buy something else.

By: damianp : November 13th, 2023-12:13

Agreed, somehow I can’t swallow these Cartier high end stuff…

By: Clueless_Collector : November 13th, 2023-18:07

Even the “regular” skeletons are too rich for me imho, but the brand was known for Royals so maybe commoners like me are not their target audience.

It’s all about trends …

By: Cpt Scarlet : November 13th, 2023-15:03

The Cartier catalog has plenty of choice and the majority of people keep to the classic Cartier designs.

Classic, yes…that’s their forte…who knows these will be the future classics?

By: Clueless_Collector : November 13th, 2023-18:07

The good news is…

By: Cpt Scarlet : November 13th, 2023-18:22

You could find a nice pre owned example available.

That is right....precious metal for a steel/steal :)

By: Clueless_Collector : November 13th, 2023-18:58

👍😉

By: Cpt Scarlet : November 13th, 2023-20:45

A very upscale Clé with a miniature system of Cartier’s pendules mystérieuses. Mechanical movement on top. What not to like if not the price😉 Another brand Quinting even went for a transparent chronograph

By: hora12reborn : November 13th, 2023-20:13

but with a quartz movement.

I think that barrier is high for most mortals....but otherwise, it is a very intriguing watch.

By: Clueless_Collector : November 13th, 2023-21:23