Rotonde de Cartier Astromystérieux Palladium

In Context

At 43.5 mm it is a large watch — well above this catalogue’s 40 mm median, and enough to dominate a narrow wrist. At 12 mm it is a tall case, and it will catch on a cuff. The case back is open, so the movement is visible without taking the watch apart, and the sapphire crystal will resist everything short of deliberate abuse. Rated to 30 m, it is protected against rain and splashes and nothing beyond that.

The movement is hand-wound, so winding it becomes part of the day rather than something the watch does for you. 50 hours of reserve is enough to set it down on Friday evening and find it still running on Monday. At 21,600 vph the seconds hand advances 6 times a second, the slower and more audible rate of an older design.

W1556249 stands on its own in this catalogue — no other reference here shares its base number. It pairs a silver guilloche dial with a palladium case. It was a limited edition. Introduced in 2016.

Hand-wound 'mysterious' movement with the escapement, balance, main gear train and barrel completing one full revolution in one hour in the center of the dial - while technically not a tourbillon in the classic sense, the concept is similar [enough]. Total of 408 parts including 188 ball-bearings and 25 jewels.

3 other watches in the library run the Cartier 9462 MC.

Cartier

Rotonde de Cartier Astromystérieux Platinum / Baguette

HPI01071 · 43.5 mm

Cartier

Rotonde de Cartier Astromystérieux Platinum / Baguette / Bracelet

HPI01072 · 43.5 mm

Cartier

Rotonde de Cartier Astromystérieux Platinum / Baguette

HPI01073 · 43.5 mm