A Calibre Of It's Own

Evan Rast examines Cartier’s quest for luxury supremacy: how a sprawling new facility and nine exceptional timepieces attest to the brand’s excellence

Technical savvy is invaluable when it comes to machinery and high-tech gadgetry. But in the mechanical watchmaking world, traditional craftsmanship is still an important aspect of the game. Fortunately, Cartier has managed to preserve artisan skills, like enamelling and decorative finishing, in its state-of-the-art facility. Workshops are dedicated to these crafts, with capability for high-end finishes and stone setting.

And of course, possibly the most significant requirement for any company to triumph is its people. Carole Forestier-Kasapi is the head of the company’s high watchmaking movements at Cartier, and under her leadership, the brand has launched some of its most innovative pieces. Her expertise comes from more than a decade of watchmaking experience, four years of which was spent as head of the technical bureau at renowned complications maker Renaud & Papi. Last year, the team presented Cartier’s first range of in-house movements, and fuelled by its success, she has continued to push the brand’s creative boundaries.

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