The ‘Calibre de Cartier’ created for men in 2010, was a real turn in the collection. Were all models fairly elegant or uni sex, the ‘Calibre de Cartier’ jumped right in the collection with its rough lines, large 42 mm case, fluorescent hands and masculine look. The watch was not created for the typical Cartier clientele, but was in the first place targeted at a new audience and in the second place also to house a few of ‘La Maison’s’ newly developed complicated calibers,

like the Flying Tourbillon, Astro Tourbillon, Perpetual Calendar, Multiple Timezone and of course the Chronograph that was based on the 1904MC movement. The case of the ‘Calibre de Cartier’ was an excellent housing for these movements and it fitted the younger sporty style of those interested in High Tech Horlogerie. In the meantime Cartier launched a different watch the Calibre as a Diver in steel and this year in a stunning black PVD coated steel case. The Diver is Cartier’s first real and certified Diver watch, that can be trusted deep in the ocean and was developed to the ISO 6425 standard that applies to diver’s watches.

The watch was, right after the launch of the steel version and again a year later after the launch of the black ADLC version, a great succes. There was in fact so much tumult around this model that nobody noticed that a really cool new Calibre arrived in the Boutiques, without any announcement; The Calibre de Cartier 38mm.
‘The new Calibre de Cartier in 38mm’

That is exactly four millimeter smaller than the current version what is quite a bit for a round watch. There is a trend that men seem to appreciate smaller and more wearable models again and Cartier anticipated with the creation of this new ‘Calibre de Cartier’. But the smaller size of the case is not all. The fluorescent hand are replaced by the more Cartier like blued hands and the triple date window gave place to a more traditional and smaller date window. The all Romain numerals make the dial more simple than the dial of the 42mm version, that has half Romain numerals and half markers. The dial of the sub seconds is redesigned and is now a little more simplified. These are all details, that make it a very different looking ‘Calibre de Cartier’. The watch has a less sporty look and is easier to wear with formal wear. From a technical point of view, everything remained the same.

The 1904 MC caliber that was used for the 42mm model, also fits the 38mm case and in fact even better. The new four millimeter smaller ‘Calibre de Cartier’ is a better looking design and an absolute winner to me. The watch has’nt lost 1% of its masculine look and will look even smarter on most men, in my honest opinion. Imagine this 38mm model with a steel bracelet and I am sure the watch will be more popular than its larger sibling.

Calibre de Cartier 38mm watch, Manufacture self-winding mechanical movement, caliber 1904-PS MC. Steel case, faceted steel crown set with a faceted synthetic spinel. Silvered flinqué sunray-brushed dial, 11 Roman numerals, blued-steel sword-shaped hands. Sapphire crystal. Black semi-matte alligator skin strap, double adjustable folding steel buckle. Calendar aperture at 3 o’clock, small seconds counter at 6 o’clock, sapphire case back. Thickness: 9.26 mm. Water-resistant to 3 bar (approx. 30 meters).