3389, CALIBRE DE CARTIER, SILVER DIAL

A Calibre de Cartier, case ref. 3389, in steel with a silver dial. The oversized Roman numeral XII anchors the top of the dial, while the remaining Romans march around the outside. A small seconds subdial sits at six with a date window above it. The 42mm case is broad, faceted and architectural, with a protective guard framing the crown. Inside is the manufacture calibre 1904-PS MC, Cartier's own automatic movement. It is fitted to a black alligator strap.

Cartier introduced the Calibre de Cartier in 2010, and it marked a turning point for the house. It was the first mass-produced Cartier powered by a movement designed and built entirely in-house, the 1904-PS MC. The calibre was named for 1904, the year Louis Cartier designed the Santos for aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont, one of the first purpose-built men's wristwatches. With the Calibre, Cartier made it clear it was a watchmaker as much as a jeweler. The collection became the platform for its manufacture ambitions.

Look at that XII. It is huge, cut big on purpose, and it gives the dial a confident graphic weight that nothing else in the Cartier line has. Then look at the case, which is all angles and planes, a masculine design from a house better known for elegance. And the movement is Cartier's own, the 1904-PS MC, the calibre that announced Cartier as a serious manufacture. This is a Cartier for people who want the name and the engineering together. It is a watch that changed what the brand could be. Curated with intent.