Clé de Cartier Automatic Skeleton

Line, volume, movement: the Cartier style rests on the strength of the design, of which the Clé de Cartier model, created in 2015, is one of the very latest watchmaking examples. It owes its name to its winding crown, the shape and clicking action of which are inspired by traditionally-wound clocks, which Cartier now transposes onto the wrist, thus inventing a new watchmaking gesture.

A symbolic example of Cartier ingenuity, it introduces the Maison’s first skeleton movement with automatic winding, the calibre 9612 MC, scientifically designed so as to enhance its aesthetic appearance.

Its character can be seen in the extravagance of the Roman numerals typical of the Cartier skeleton model. In this open-work design, the bridges in the shape of the numerals III, VI, IX and XII structure the movement and define its appearance between solid and void, transparency of the outlines and organic vitality of the watch components.

For the first time, Cartier’s master watchmakers have developed an automatic movement that merges naturally into this skeletonised architecture. An exploit that reveals the full force of their virtuosity.

The challenge here was to skeletonise the oscillating weight and to make it invisible, while conserving the winding efficiency. This feat was achieved by establishing a judicious balance between its thickness and diameter, determining the optimum weight of the 22-carat gold rotor.

The Cartier skeleton here takes on a new dimension, a passage made all the more outstanding by the Clé de Cartier model.