Watches and Wonders 2024: Meet the Cartier Prive Tortue Monopoussoir Chronograph

A Cartier classic has been revived and reinvented – the Tortue Monopoussoir Chronograph is reborn into the Prive collection with the heart of the Manufacture 1928 MC movement.

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Watches and Wonders 2024 became a magician’s stage for Cartier as the maison played with the magic and mystery of time, transforming shapes and dangling between the fine threads of the real and imaginary. Or in some cases, the past and present. The new Santos de Cartier Dual Time that speaks of time in two places is a fine example. Another is the familiar charm of the Tortue Monopoussoir Chronograph, enchanting audiences with its vintage allure and elegant details.

‘Monopoussoir’ translates to a ‘single button’ and the monopoussoir chronograph made its debut at Cartier on a Tortue watch in 1928. It was later reinterpreted in 1998 as part of the Collection Privée Cartier Paris, or CPCP for short. It was a collection where the maison dug into its treasure trove of archives and breathed new life into iconic pieces for the current times. Next to the Tortue, these included the Tank and the Santos, and all were produced in limited numbers. After a decade, the CPCP was sadly discontinued but the new Cartier Prive Tortue Monopoussoir Chronograph looks every part fitting for its monopoussoir chronograph reincarnation – and more.

The most notable callback to the original design is the apple-shaped hands, a hollowed-out central seconds hand and triangular motifs on the four corners of the dial. The railway track has been placed to surround the Roman numerals, leaving an ample canvas for the two counters. A single-push button integrated into the crown, and activated in a singular motion, is responsible for the chronograph’s start, stop, and reset functions.

A worthy mention is the new mechanical movement (manual winding) fitted into the heart of the Cartier Prive Tortue Monopoussoir Chronograph, the Manufacture 1928 MC calibre. It is remarkably 4.3mm thick, making it Cartier’s thinnest chronograph, and one made just for the watch. The complex architecture can be admired through the open back where the workings of the gear train and column wheel alone are proof of the watchmaker’s challenge in its creation.

The new Cartier Prive Tortue Monopoussoir Chronograph is offered in two limited editions, with 200 numbered pieces each. Exuding vintage appeal, the yellow gold model is most reminiscent of the 1928 original, especially with the sapphire cabochon in the crown. It also features gold-finish apple-shaped hands and a grained golden-finish dial. It’s paired with semi-matte blue and dark blue alligator leather interchangeable straps.

The platinum model, on the other hand, is a modern mirage with blued effect of the counters, a silvered opaline dial and rhodium-plated Roman numerals. The cherry on top is the ruby cabochon on the winding mechanism, complementing the semi-matte burgundy red (or interchangeable with a shiny grey option) alligator leather strap.

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