SIHH 2012 Spotlight: The Rotonde de Cartier Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon

As we previously mentioned, the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) is the time for watch-making giants to strut their developmental stuff and Cartier is no exception. Here we present the handsome Rotonde de Catier Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon, Cartier’s first ever minute repeater. This particular watch is an accomplishment that took five years in the making and it looks as though it were well worth the wait.

This sophisticated watch is equipped with Cartier’s own in-house movement, the hand-wound 9402 MC movement. The Rotonde de Cartier’s most revered aspect is that most prized of complications, the minute repeater. The minute repeater is a function that was developed in the 17th century to enable the wearer to tell the time through a series of acoustic sounds, rather than rely on the light. Repeaters usually are furnished with two hammers and two gongs, one gong for minutes and the other for hours. The extreme intricacy of this complication is what makes it so highly valued among watch enthusiasts.

The Rotonde de Cartier Minute Repeater is being released in two styles, titanium and rose gold. Because the titanium is a louder material, the sounds of the titanium gongs is 68 decibels while the rose gold version is at 65 decibels. Another wonderful touch is the unusual push-button design to activate the minute repeater instead of the slide function, which minimizes the weight of the watch. The Rotonde de Cartier will be a limited edition of just 50 pieces in each case design.

Rotonde de Cartier Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon Specifications

Movement:
• Hand-wound 9402 MC in-house movement
• 45 jewels
• 447 components

Functions:
• Flying tourbillon, minute repeater, hours, minutes, seconds

Case:
• Diameter:45mm
• Case Material: Titanium or 18 karat rose gold
• Water Resistance: 30 meters
• Crystal: Scratch-resistant sapphire

Strap:
• Black alligator leather
• Adjustable folding-clasp

King Jewelers is an authorized dealer for Cartier watches in Middle Tennessee, as well as over forty luxury Swiss watch brands including Bell & Ross, Breguet, Breitling, Chanel, Chopard, DeWitt, Harry Winston, Hublot, IWC, Jaquet Droz, Montblanc, Roger Dubuis and TAG Heuer. King Jewelers is a member of the American Watch Guild and has been named a Leading Watch Retailer in North America by International Wristwatch Magazine. King Jewelers also offers expert watch repair and watch restoration at their retail locations in Aventura, FL and Nashville, TN. For more information on Cartier watches, please visit www.cartier.com or take a look at our Cartier page.