You?ve probably seen a lot of watches from Watches and Wonders, but what about the wonders! You were promised wonders! Well, they were there, let me tell you, and no two brands focused as much on them as Cartier and Jaeger-LeCoultre. Whether they were saving up their best releases for a few years, waiting for the pandemic to slow down to show off in person, or their watchmakers are just very well caffeinated, I don?t know, but both pulled out the stops this year for some of the most mind-blowing Haute-horology I got to witness. Here are a few watches that left a lasting impression.
Cartier Masse Mystérieuse
When you say a watch is ?insane? while in the Cartier booth, you need some context. Nothing you see is simple, or plain. The most basic of their watches are, at the very least, at the height of taste and elegance, but they quickly move into a space of bewilderment. From diamond pillows to crafts and techniques that are truly lost on a jewelry-Luddite like myself, their presentation was a parade of decadence the likes of which I?ve never experienced before. So, for something to stand out even in that context is truly unbelievable.
The Cartier Masse Mystérieuse seems like a prank. A stunt made to amuse watch journalists or a non-working concept for an upcoming Willy Wonka film. But no, it?s real, which makes them far more clever even. You see, the movement of this automatic watch is the rotor, and the rotor is the movement. Attached at the axis of the hands, it...