Zach's favourite Cartier releases from Watches & Wonders 2024 (2024)

Zach Blass

Cartier is hotter than it’s ever been in the modern era, with all eyes on the brand for both its past and present creations. With such a rocketing rise upwards from an already respected position to a peak station, the question on people’s minds is can they keep this momentum, or is there now only room to fall? Well, the master maison of shapes, with its extensive range of staples, continues the same formula of a scorching hot Privé revival, further “Rewinds” that bring aesthetics of the past into the present, and expansions of the complications and movements in their arsenal to present familiar yet fresh pieces Cartier fans will lust after. Here are four of my favourites.

Privé Tortue Monopoussoir

While most brands cower in fear at the thought of presenting a revival of watch performing very well on the secondary market and auction block, Cartier has pushed forward and done just that – turning an obstacle into an opportunity. With the rise of F.P. Journe’s namesake brand, and the lore surrounding Journe, Denis Flageollet (of De Bethune fame), and Vianney Halter, the already attractive CPCP Tortue Monopoussoir has become that much more collectible due to its THA-developed ébauche designed in collaboration between the three aforementioned legendary watchmakers. This 1998 release was presented in both yellow and white gold, with cases, for the most part, clocking in at 35mm in diameter and 43mm lug-to-lug. This 2024 model effectively retains the aesthetics and dimensions of its predecessor, at 34.8mm in width, 10.2mm thick, and 43.7mm lug-to-lug.

But, inside and exhibited is a new manually wound monopusher chronograph: the 1928 MC. From a niche collectibility standpoint, this evolution distances itself enough from the THA ébauche models as to not step on its toes and flex Cartier’s own modern movement development capabilities. Cartier, masters of the subtle switches that create serious impact, have revamped the dial on this 2024 design to be more legible by introducing a circular outer minutes track with the tonneau shape of the dial. This circular track, which surrounds the Roman numerals, will allow for more precise readings of the time and chronograph functionalities. It is also worth noting that, aesthetically speaking, this new dial layout is more in line with early Tortue monopusher chronograph watches from the 1920s. There are two configurations, one once again in yellow gold and another, instead of in white gold, finds itself in platinum for the first time. It is even further distinguished from the 1998 models, and even its 2024 sibling, with its applied Roman hour numerals and its ruby cabochon set in the crown. Both are limited to 200 pieces, but I suspect the platinum will be the most sought-after.

Santos-Dumont Rewind

I’m not going to lie, with this one you are either going to love it or hate it. Why? Well, we’re all well-aware that the watch industry loves to look back in time into their historical archives for ideas. Cartier have long been masters of this, somehow both incrementally and drastically advancing its designs while staying within the classic codes of its brand design. In an artistic tribute to looking back, Cartier’s new Santos-Dumont Rewind, in a manner of speaking, rewinds time with its reversed, manual-wind 230 MC movement. This is where the polarisation will come into play.

I think we can all get on board with its beautiful carnelian red sunburst dial, the large-for-Cartier (which actually skews small by modern standards) proportions of its platinum case, and the small and attractive touch of its usage of Breguet hands. At first glance you would think this is just a new dial for a Santos-Dumont. At a second, you would think you were looking at a rare defective Cartier dial with the Roman numerals in counter clockwise order. What you’ll come to realise is that with the reversed movement the hands actually rotate counterclockwise. This will greatly throw off and annoy some, while others will see the art and romance of its reversed expression. Though I love the idea, I do not know how well or quickly I would acclimate to the reversed expression. Then again, I like that Cartier is daring enough to do this and I imagine they will find 200 buyers for this limited edition watch regardless.

Santos de Cartier Dual Time

The Santos de Cartier underwent a major evolution a few years back, levelling up to a 100-metre water-resistant case and the introduction of the QuickSwitch interchangeable system that allows you to not only quickly swap between the bracelet and bundled leather strap, but also the ability to add and remove links with no tools at all. Until now, the range was effectively limited to different dial colours and sizes, with a medium that is time-only and a large that adds a date complication. Considering the Santos was born as a pilot’s watch, the Santos Dual Time has the perfect aviation-themed complication to bring into the mix. The dial, rendered in sunburst anthracite, creates a sleek, monochromatic look against the steel case and bracelet. The date, shifted to the 3 o’clock position, makes room for the dual time indication at 6 that, embedded within, also includes a day/night indicator. This is all added in without really enlarging the watch beyond what is considered the “large” size for this line, sitting at 40.2mm in diameter and 47.5mm lug-to-lug.

Santos-Dumont 2024 Lacquered Collection

Being totally honest, I do not love the Arabic numerals (in place of Roman numerals) on the dials for this new trio. I also think the departure from a bezel-matching lacquered dial in favour of a sunburst a downgrade, at least in my humble opinion. But, as you all may know since it was love at first sight at Watches & Wonders 2022, I am very, very fond of Santos-Dumonts with lacquered cases – in particular the beige-on-rose-gold limited edition I am proud to call my own.

What I do love is this. Two of these new lacquered models are not limited editions. Up until now, every lacquered Santos-Dumont, with the exception of the black-on-steel model from 2022, has been a limited edition. While the platinum and olive green configuration above is limited to 200 pieces, the 18k yellow gold taupe and 18k rose gold peaco*ck blue are set to be regular-production models. This will create more opportunities for buyers to obtain a lacquered Santos-Dumont, which I am definitely all for.