Cartier Calibre Chronograph Review

I have long been impressed by Cartier’s ability to create a diversity of watch designs while still ensuring  they all retain the Cartier “house style.”  If you removed the brand name from the dial I’m confident that you would still be able to identify the watch as coming from Cartier, just as you could drop the needle on a random piece of Mozart’s mature music and identify it unmistakably as coming from him, regardless of it being opera, symphonic, concerto, or chamber music.

What I have traditionally, and to be honest, selfishly, not liked about Cartier is that a majority of their production, outside of the exclusive and very expensive Fine Watchmaking collection, is geared toward female clientele. Cartier seems to recognize this reality and has been concentrating resources into creating more masculine watches these past few years. I wrote recently about my appreciating of the Tank Louis Cartier:

cartier.watchprosite.com

and I have also like the 42 mm models that are part of the Rontonde collection, whether simple like this:


or more complicated.

Cartier has put its most concerted effort in making gentlemen’s watches with its Calibre collection, which debuted in 2010 with a newly designed case and an in-house movement, the Calibre 1904 MC, which has been renamed the Calibre 1904 PS MC (Petite Seconde). Masculine, without a doubt, and a design that I liked from the first day I saw it.

Offered only on a strap that first year, Cartier brought out a bracelet option the next year, giving the watch the flexibility to be worn either sporty or dress, and also to compete against some stiff competition like the Rolex Datejust 2 and Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra.

This year Cartier introduced a natural extension: The Calibre Chronograph, with in-house Calibre 1904 CH MC.


This watch retains the 42 mm diameter or the original, though it is noticeably thicker:



The dial has a classic chronograph layout, though it is unusual in that the there are no running seconds in a subdial; rather, the 30-minute counter is at 3 o’clock and the 12-hour counter is at 9 o’clock. Retained from the instantly iconic Calibre dial with this Chronograph is the large Roman XII and Romans hours on the upper hemisphere and luminous stick markers on the lower, a sort of whimsical variation on the “California” dial. The 3 digit date window is symmetrically placed at 6 o’clock.

The only detail of the case and dial that I have reservations about is the railroad minute track on the bezel. It’s nice to have the track, especially for reading elapsed seconds, but it would not have fit on the dial without as it does in the classic Calibre.

The 1904 CH MC movement is based on the same 1904 PS MC movement found in the classic Calibre, which surprisingly was developed to be able to support an integrated chronograph design. The chronograph features column wheel control of the start, stop, and reset operations, and the chronograph engages via the vertical clutch architecture, allowing for continuous running of the chronograph with no ill effects on accuracy. Cartier reports that the 1904 movement has performed better in the field than their own high expectations had predicted.



The decorative finishing is good for a watch at this price point, but falls short of the high standards one would see in the Fine Watchmaking collection.

The Chronograph is an attractive addition to the Calibre family of watches, and I expect that Cartier will continue to make inroads with male collectors with this piece.



It certainly looks good on me, don't you think?

Bill