Hour Marker These are the indicators on the face of a watch that mark out the hours. Most watches have at least three hands to show hours, minutes, and seconds. Hand The hands are the markers on the dial that indicate time. It can come in several different colors and marker combinations. The majority of modern Swiss timepieces have a sapphire crystal.ĭial Also known as the face, the dial is the portion of the watch that displays the time. This is designed to protect the watch from dirt and water and reduce glare. Crystal This is the transparent cover on the top of the dial or face. They come in several different shapes and materials.Ĭrown This is a knob on the outside of a watch case that sets the calendar and time. This protects them from normal wear and tear as well as the elements. Case The case is the part of the watch that contains the movement and dial. In order to be considered a bracelet, the band must be made of metal. Bracelet or Strap These are the bands that secure a watch to a wrist.

Although the Calibre de Cartier collection has apparently been discontinued, it remains popular on the secondhand market for a sporty design ethos that renders it ideal for daily wear.Bezel The bezel goes around the crystal of a watch are usually made of metal or ceramic. Later, the timepiece became available with a bracelet and other variations on the original design, such as the Calibre de Cartier Chronograph and the waterproof Calibre de Cartier Dive. The original Calibre de Cartier was offered in assorted cases and dial colors with a leather band. For those who appreciate such details, the movement, in its intricate metallic beauty and blued screwheads, is visible through a sapphire crystal window on the back of the watch. In addition, ceramic ball bearings offer the rotor protection from shock, and the rotor can be wound with movement from either direction, which is unusual for most automatic watches. Double barrels (rather than the standard single barrel) allow the watch to contain a 48-hour power reserve, meaning that the watch will display the accurate time off-wrist for two days. The 1904-PS MC mechanical movement is a technological marvel. Of these, the Calibre de Cartier is the company’s first watch to feature an automatic mechanical movement designed entirely in-house at Cartier’s production facility in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. The resulting Santos watch was a commercial success, paving the way for other legendary Cartier watches like the Tonneau, the Tank Française and the Crash throughout the 20th century.Īs Cartier entered the new millennium, it began producing a number of new models. Louis Cartier (1875–1942), the grandson of the house’s founder Louis-François Cartier, developed a wearable watch in 1904 at the request of his friend the charismatic pilot Alberto Santos-Dumont, who wanted to be able to tell the time mid-flight without pulling out his pocket watch. Launched in 2010, the Calibre de Cartier was the internationally acclaimed French jeweler’s bold statement - and a relatively affordable one - in the men’s sports market, although the watch remains true to Cartier’s design heritage through signature elements, such as sword-like hands and an inlaid blue cabochon in the winding crown.įounded in 1847, Cartier is credited with popularizing one of the first true modern wristwatches. With a robust 42mm case, thick rounded lugs and a simple dial that combines Roman numerals and baton indexes, the 5.3-ounce watch exudes a gentle masculine aesthetic. And that is precisely what the Cartier design team intended.

If you were to describe the Calibre de Cartier watch in a word, it would be simply this: masculine.

Calibre meaning in watches