Trying On the Cartier Calibre aka Never Meet Your Heroes

     Ever since I discovered the Cartier Calibre (check it out here) earlier this year, I had been drawn to it, especially the pink gold/steel model with two-tone metal bracelet and white dial.  I even wrote an earlier blog post about my attraction to it (read that post here).  I had resigned myself to the idea that I would have to go to Houston or Dallas just to try it on.  That all changed with a casual visit to the Sak's Fifth Avenue store up in north Austin.  They sell Cartiers!  It was a shock to be in a store that sells high-end watches as well as handbags and shoes.  However, this pleasant discovery soon became tempered by disappointment after I tried the Calibre on. 

I'll make it simple: it looks way too damn big!  It's a good looking watch, but its white dial and the way its bezel flows into the crystal add up to make a 42 mm diameter watch look absolutely massive.  It's like Eva Mendes' face atop the body of an NFL player.

However, it was not all bad news at Sak's.  I got to try on a beautiful Cartier that I had forgotten all about.  Keep scrolling down to find out which one it was (hint: both President Clinton and Usher have one).

                      This watch looks like a wrist wrecking monster on my 7-1/4" wrist.  Way too butch.  Makes me think I should have no neck, a fake tan and a tendency to call everyone "bro" just to wear it.

                      Even the sapphire set into the crown is too big.  Makes me think of how American cars are designed - every element is oversized.

                      This is a nice color combo.

 

                      The black dial helps disguise some of the enormity of the dial and looks good with the stainless steel case.

     Despite the disappointingly hulking appearance of the Calibre, I was pleasantly surprised by the Ballon Bleu in stainless steel and yellow gold (Ref.: W69009Z3).  This, too, is a 42 mm watch, but its proportions are much more visually subdued and tasteful than those of the Calibre.  It is a very round watch (ballon meaning ball or balloon in French), but its attractive two-tone bracelet, large Roman numerals, contained and fluted crown and opaline dial with guilloche finish are more than enough to distract me from that.  This watch has a charming, old-fashioned appearance that makes it look like an heirloom piece already. 

Notice the subtle "C" shape formed by the indentation of the date window.  It makes for a pleasant-looking assymetry.

 

                      I could get used to seeing that.

                      The Ballon Bleu even appears round when viewed from the side, thanks to its curved synthetic sapphire crystal and rounded caseback.  I don't think I've ever seen a watch that looks like this one.  I like it, even if it does look a little thick (13 mm).

     If you are as smitten with the Cartier Ballon Bleu as I am, you can click here to learn more about it.

On My "Watch" List (Literally!)

Hello, again!  I know it's been a while, but now I'm back with a watch-related post.  I've loved watches since I was a little kid and in recent years my tastes have leaned towards Omega and Rolex, partly for their designs and partly for their (relative) accessibility (especially on the secondary market.)  Lately, my horizons have been broadening and I've been developing a knowledge of and interest in brands like Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Universal Geneve, Zenith, Audemars Piguet, Bulgari, Girard-Perregaux, Frederique Constant, and Vulcain, among others.  Below are two watches from 2 other brands that have caught my eye.  Let me know if they strike your fancy as strongly as they struck mine. 

 

Cartier Calibre de Cartier (Reference: W7100036)

I've always thought of Cartier as a jeweler, first and foremost, but more and more these days, I find myself being attracted to their watch designs.  Their Santos 100 XL is already on my Wish List and this is the next entry.  I'm a sucker for gold and stainless two-tone watches with white dials and gold bezels as it is and this piece gives me even more to love.  The separate seconds dial at 6 o'clock and the 1-in-3 date window at 3 o'clock give this watch some character and keep it from looking too symmetrical.  The sapphire spinel planted in the middle of the crown is a nice touch, too.  One thing that really stands out to me is the way the flange-like bezel recedes into the crystal.  I don't really see that a lot.  The case is interestingly shaped, as well.  The lugs appear to curve down more dramatically than they do on any other watch I've seen.  Inside the unusual case is the in-house, 27-jewel, 1904 MC movement with a 48 hour power reserve.  Given how attractive this piece is and its in-house movement, it's hard to believe that this is an "entry-level" Cartier watch.  The Cartier Calibre is available in pink gold, stainless steel, or pink gold/stainless steel with either a leather strap or metal bracelet.  The watch pictured above goes for about $12,000.  (Check out the entire Cartier Calibre line on their website.)  

Ralph Lauren Stirrup (Reference: RLR0021700)

I'm usually not one for buying certain goods from manufacturers not known for making them.  For instance,  I would never buy a vacuum cleaner from Ford or a pair of shoes from Microsoft.  So it would make sense that I would be reluctant to accept a watch by Ralph Lauren.  However, to say this is a true Ralph Lauren watch is misleading.  In 2007, the fashion house decided to add a line of high-end watches to its product portfolio and partnered with Richemont, the corporate umbrella under which Jaeger-LeCoultre and other illustrious watchmakers such as Baume et Mercier and IWC reside.  I think that's a great idea and one that should give comfort to hard-core Ralph Lauren customers who want a well-made timepiece that matches their style and watch collectors who value original, attractive design as much as watchmaking pedigree.  The example above houses the manual-wind, 22-jewel RL701 movement made by Jaeger-LeCoultre specially for Ralph Lauren.  I typically don't like gold-on-black, but this combination of a rose gold case with a black alligator leather strap pops in an attractive way.  Leave it to Ralph Lauren to make a watch the same shape as a horse stirrup.  I wonder if any owners will actually wear this watch when they play polo.  If they decide to leave it at home, it will stay wound for about 70 hours.  But if I had a $16,000 watch like this one, I would want to wear it all the time.  The Ralph Lauren Stirrup Collection is available in 3 different sizes in stainless steel, rose gold, white gold, and platinum and almost every model comes on a leather strap.  Chronograph functionality and diamond-set bezels for certain models are also available options.  (If you would like to learn more about this watch line on the Ralph Lauren Watch and Jewelry Co. website, click here.)