Pasha de Cartier

This ‘skeleton’ watch has a flying tourbillon, which means it conceals as much as it reveals

Cartier has manufactured several ‘skeleton’ watches. In 2009, the watchmaker created a skeleton in which the bridges of the mechanical movement were shaped like Roman numerals and also functioned as the watch dial. Now, this design has been made spiffier with Pasha de Cartier skeleton flying tourbillon watch, Calibre 9457 MC. The Roman numerals of the 2009 model have been replaced with Arabic numerals in the Pasha. This 42 mm diameter watch is powered by a hand-wound Calibre 9457 MC movement, which has its own specially developed flying tourbillon escapement. The tourbillon at 6 o’clock is framed by the engraved numerals 3, 9 and 12.

The barrel and mainspring of the movement also remain alluringly visible. There is no seconds hand, but one can easily use the C-shaped carriage of the flying tourbillon as the seconds indicator.

Made from 18 carat white gold, the timepiece is embellished with hand-performed elements, such as bevelled bridges, satin-brushed sides and circular-grained wheels. The crown is set with a sapphire cabochon. It is water resistant up to 30 metres and has a power reserve of 50 hours. The watch, of which only 100 authentic pieces exist, is stamped with the ‘Geneva Seal’, which means it comes with an individually numbered certificate of origin, guaranteeing that the movement of the watch meets the excellence criteria set out by the Office for the Voluntary Inspection of Watches in Geneva.

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