CRAFTSMANSHIP OF TIMEPIECES; NEW DESIGN FROM MYSTERY TO FANTASY.

Time appears and vanishes, a material in its own right to be transformed. Time is hypnotic, it dreams. A pretext for the creation of incredible timepieces.

But it is much more than it seems; a mystery here, a fantasy there.

When looking at a watch for the first time wondering; Where is the mechanism? What is the trick that makes the hands go round? Where is time hidden? The answer is in the question, hidden beyond the technical skill, the creative mastery, the desire to bring illusion and the duality into the magnetic field of watchmaking.?

Throughout our time, we went from “meeting at the next quarter-moon” by looking up, via “See you between One and Two” by putting a stick in the ground, and “punching a clock”, to ultimately being anchored on atomic time for the last sixty years, using the rate of vibration of Caesium atoms – an accurate time keeping method which is something close to ten to the minus fifteen seconds (ten with fifteen zeros after it… that's a quadrillionth of a second, a femtosecond.

Putting things in perspective; if a second is the distance from the earth to the moon, the femtosecond is about the width of one of your hair.

In this article - and non-affiliated design exercise, I will be exploring History and Time, cultural diversity, entropy and the search for accuracy and tackling more about Cartier as a timepiece manufacturer and one of their iconic collections, the Cartier Roadster.

I - TIME AS A CONSTRUCT

Time. Keeping.

It is a strange notion as it seems you cannot have one without the other.

?"Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend." – Theophrastus.

?Ancient Greek philosophy is known by its combination of merely theoretical thoughts and practical approach. Theophrastus understood time as an accident of motion that cannot be stopped or reversed, and he said that waste of time is the most extravagant and costly of all expenses.?

The “Time” represented by Aion (a Hellenistic deity associated with time, the orb or circle encompassing the universe and the zodiac) is unbounded, in contrast to Chronos being empirical time divided into past, present, and future. He is thus a god of the ages, associated with mystery religions concerned with the afterlife.

Even though there is no such thing as “absolute time”, it is still an observable quantity. Our estimation of time keeping exists only because we have elements that repeat in some intervals. Our earliest time estimations were empowered by astronomers.

• Keep track of the rotation of the earth; you have a day.
• Keep track of the quarter phases of the moon; you have a sort of week.
• The months named after each “moon”; Wolf Moon, Flower moon, Harvest moon,...
• Keep track of the seasons’ cycle; you have a year.?

"Time is just something we invented to make motion seem simple." - Albert Einstein

1. If you take a look at new-born babies, time is the activity itself. It's not some measurement that stands apart. There is milk time, there is nap time, there is lunchtime - there's cocktail time and Beer O’clock for parents - Time is what you do.
2. If you take a look at the Maya calendar and its three different dating systems running in parallel, the question arising is; How did they achieve such precision in time keeping, and get so engulfed in time measurement, if they were in fact without a telescope, without an enlightenment, without a scientific revolution…?
3. If you take a look now in Brazil, there is a tribe in the Amazonian forest - the Amondawa - which uses a language and uses cognitive elements wherein there is no Past, Present and Future. Everything happens all at once.

?We got the measure of time from the Greeks. We mechanized it and we build clocks because we want to see it as something that's quite apart from all the events that take place.

II - A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WATCHES

For every watch, there is a purpose.

For all these purposes; one common ground; a fine combination of elements to respect. The size, the details, the balance between dial and the side of the case, the looks,… A perfectly balanced piece in terms of its aesthetic specific for the function.?

Ricardo Guadalupe, CEO of Hublot, said in 2015 that a watch was like a jewel of the man, to distinguish himself, because in your watch people can see who you are, more or less, and what you want to represent to other people.?

At the end of the day there will always be two sides; people who couldn’t care less about a watch, their phone tells the time and that’s it. And on the other side a complete polarity with watch enthusiasts, seeing beyond the simple piece of accessory. A split also occurs within the watch world itself; on one side you have Patek Philip, the leader in the classic, traditional watchmaking art, and on the other, Seiko, bringing reliability and low expense.?

No one is wrong; it all depends on your own affinity. Not only can watches be considered as memories and bring out very strong emotions and great memories… they are also tools, and in that sense too me, Cartier?is the master of making watches that blend elegance and sportiness, and the Roadster – which my concept is about - is a prime example of that mastery.?

III - ABOUT CARTIER, Jeweller and Watchmaker since 1847

Adored by royalty and celebrated individuals, the brand symbolizes pure excellence. Cartier has a fabulous lineage of watchmaking, accessories, and fine jewellery, boasting a colourful and illustrious history that is reflected in its many beautiful collections. Founded in Paris, France, in 1847 when Louis-Fran?ois Cartier took over his master's workshop, it would not be until his grandsons would make the name known around the world.

Having a rich history is something that has to be earned. You can’t just make it up after the fact - despite the number of brands that try, and Cartier has one of the strongest stories when it comes to watchmaking and design in the 20th century. One of their claims to fame, beyond their illustrious jewellery, is the design in 1904 of the first pilot's watch for Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos, who needed a replacement for his pocket watch as it was too awkward to check during flight. Due to his popularity, when people saw him wearing a Cartier many others wanted to emulate the pioneer and thus came the rise of their prolific Santos line of watches.?

Cartier became the first to set the design standards for watch making. The shapes of watches are an example of the breakaway design from regular round watches. Cartier has made watches of perfect size, shape, and proportions while creating a seamless harmony between the bracelet and case. Their designs are a collection of eccentric, often daring yet they remain refined. They feature exceptional, mastercraft designs that have a story of evolution behind each product, and exceptional quality that makes Cartier a must have.

Their vintage watches for example are highly sought after with movements at the time supplied from Edward Jaeger (of Jaeger-LeCoultre) and their defining Tonneau shape.

One of the reasons I admire Cartier timepieces is that the company was integral in the creation of the wristwatch industry, to begin with. They have experimented with a lot of different timepiece case and dial designs, many of which the brand continues to produce today. They remain true to the finest traditions of watchmaking and jewellery-making by employing rare craftsmanship and unique skills that are often in danger of becoming extinct and actively committed to keeping traditional techniques alive for future generations.

IIII - UNCONVENTIONAL AND TIMELESS

Moving on to my design medium and star of the show, the Cartier Roadster was launched in 2001, raising eyebrows for its aggressive blend of sports watch versatility, automotive inspiration, and luxury finish. It was one of the youngest models in Cartier’s timepiece portfolio, but it is also among the most well-known watches they’ve released. It came as small, medium, large, and extra-large sizes.

It was discontinued in 2012 by the brand.

Something that has been at the heart of Cartier’s design language since its early days as a watchmaker, is developing non-round watch cases ; “shaped watches’.

Following in the footsteps of the square Santos watches, the rectangular Tank watches, the oval Baignoire watches, and many others, the modern Roadster watch also sports a distinct watch case. Cartier introduced the first Tonneau-shaped watch in 1906. (“tonneau” is the French word for “barrel.”) Almost a century later, the Cartier Roadster offered a?much more modern approach to the barrel-like watch case.

While most Cartier watches have blue crown cabochon crystals, the Roadster line doesn’t. It is a series for both men and women, taking its inspiration from the sleek, metallic curves of the automotive industry of the 50s and 60s, celebrating all that is great about the motorcar. It is expressed mostly by the sweeping Tonneau case and the protruding crown and pusher which challenge the shape of the case and drawing the eye to the exaggerated date lens, contributing to the watch’s bold design, adding the passion and spirit of the sport of motor-racing.

This is not something uncommon in the luxury watchmaking world. There are many different watches out there that take inspiration from the beauty and excitement that comes with racing, cars, motorsports, and the like - think Rolex Daytona, Breitling for Bentley, and the TAG Heuer Carrera, just to name a few. However, Cartier’s goal with the Roadster was to present a luxury timepiece that was versatile, sophisticated, and undeniably sporty.?But the Roadster takes the unprecedented measure of integrating the crown, the crown guard, the case flank, the bezel, and the date magnifier into a single sinuous form, elevating the Roadster’s visuals to the next level.?

What makes the Cartier Roadster such a fun and?innovative?line is that the pieces are evidently based on certain vintage automotive parts that not only just bring a sense of nostalgia but also a charm to anyone who recognises it. The case reads as a true “roadster” viewed from overhead with the top down, and in one of the Roadster models you can recognize a Porsche-like dial, drawing inspiration from the 1950’s Porsche 356 speedometer.

The Cartier Roadster includes:

• An oversized date magnification lens that is meant to recall for some the beautifully curved glass windshields?featured on a number of?vintage?cars from the fifties and sixties, while others might see the air intake opening on a bonnet (hood).
• The winding crown. Some say the crown mimics the look of a car radiator, and cooling fins, while others claim it’s a tribute to?tires.
• Swords hands featuring a sharp pointer, with its peak close to that pointer.
• A dial clearly influenced by car speedometers, and also offered more traditional dial designs with the familiar Roman numerals, railroad tracks, and the famed Cartier 'secret signature' we’ve come to expect from the brand.
• Practical quick-release lug system, like in a convertible, which makes changing the bracelet or strap an easy task.?
• The four indentations in the lugs housing screws, their shape is very much like the headlights of the?Jaguar E-Type.

V - SETTING UP MY BRIEF - Then and Now

Although the Cartier Roadster enjoyed solid popularity during its time, it was ultimately shelved by the brand a about ten years ago in favour of other men’s watches, focusing?heavily on the new Drive de Cartier for men as their quintessential dress watch, which is not really similar to the Cartier Roadster but is regarded by some as the line that replaced it. It means that the brand does not release new designs anymore nor do they still manufacture existing ones.?

So, Why focus and design a new Cartier Roadster?

1. Since it is discontinued now, it makes for a great new design starting point.
2. Exploring a desire to keep their product name relevant
3. The Cartier Roadster line holds so much character in every model
4. Its strong distinctive design.?A collection strikingly different compared to other sports watches that take inspiration from automobiles.
5. The challenge to be able to keep the interest of past and future watch collectors and vintage fans out there,
6. For the love of World-building and Strategy, depicting an alternative story.?

“Everything we do, to make it change or evolve, is a huge responsibility” - Pierre Rainero (Director of Image, Style and Heritage, Cartier)

One possible route I could have taken was to do a reedition of the original Cartier watch, paying “Hommage” in some way.

Another route would be for this model to be set in an alternate timeline, twenty years prior the brand could have been focusing a lot on the aesthetics of pre-war racing cars dials as well as pushing toward a “watchification” of pre-war racing instruments and gauges.

It is an intricate task. For example, if I was to work for Rolex, one thing to realise is they doesn’t really do “complications” anymore, but in the 1940s and 1950s it would be the era of the early ‘moonphase’ and then, the thinking and design process would be very different.?

Historically and technically…

• In the 80s, people were wearing smaller watches, and all these 38mm – like the original Roadster - would have sit much bigger on the wrist. So, do I make it bigger? Standing out even more in the era it would have been produced? But at the same time, it could also mean that it would sit more flat on your wrist…
• In 1930s, roman numerals were not considered cool. Not fashionable. There weren’t considered as nice. Arabic numerals were largely preferred.
• Also to consider, back in the 80s, where this first version would be set in, “sportwatches” were sometimes utilitarian and usually not collectable at all, and there is always the question on how contemporary I want it to be...

VI - GENESIS OF AN ICON

(a 1975 take on the 1930s era)

A first glance, the Roadster Pre-War looks like an analogue watch, but the protruding single crown - typical of 1930 watches - and indents all around the case should easily remove that idea. This watch is based on pre-war racing cars’ gauges which were supposed to be reliable tools drivers referenced in order to manage their distances and ‘services’.

Thanks to the simple dial arrangement it is very legible and clear as per Cartier’s aesthetic standards, but also has a unique aged-look to it.

The goal of the watch is not to look vintage, but a high quality piece from a past era.

The rounder dial is silver with black roman numerals, that when mixed with the industrial-style markers on the case, the hour and minute Alpha hands narrowly coming out from the center before immediately angling out then narrowing again into the pointer, combined with the round date hole give an aged feel.

Technically this timepiece would feature a mechanical self-winding movement with a 34-hour power reserve. A 39mm by 32mm Tonneau case here would be performed in gun-metal grey stainless steel with PVD finish. ?

The onion-shaped screw pull out signed winding crown sits at the 3 o'clock position. What you end up with is a very unique Cartier timepiece that doesn’t miss a beat when it comes to emulating the brand’s DNA twenty-years prior to its original version. The Roadster Pre-War watch puts a contemporary spin on its rigid, Art Deco-inspired roots. A perfect choice for the gentlemen drivers and pre-war automobile enthusiasts as it can delight even the fussiest watch collectors.

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VII - BREATH-TAKING ICONIC MODERNITY

?(a 2025 take on the 2060s era)

?The Roadster Futurity, the third-generation Roadster, takes Cartier's modernist design philosophy to the next level, now looking to the future, with a contemporary interpretation of its trademark silhouette to create an incredible statement. Informed by creative ever-distinct future car-inspired pattern and Cartier’s signature of desire for perfection, it continues to lead the sports-watch market, bringing modernity, aesthetic grace and technical sophistication. This would be one aimed at anyone seeking a classic design with a contemporary future streak.

?It doesn't follow future fashion or trend, but by a modernist design philosophy, combined with over 50 years of evolution, it would quite simply aim to be the most desirable Roadster ever created. Its rounded rectangular face would come in at a striking 51 mm, which is especially large, even for a men’s watch.

The 2025 Roadster Futurity is defined by three elements that can trace their origins back through the previous two generations; the clear dial, bold bezel and automotive-inspired magnified date component at 3 o’clock. These trademark features combined with the Tonneau case and a distinctive new roman numerals and luminescent Pencil hands - complete with a practical crown - create an elegant futuristic profile that conveys Cartier's peerless and pioneering presence.?

The unbroken outline is to emphasize Cartier's attention to detail, as the rounded edge of the case - replicated across the dial - integrate the four rectangular indentations in a simple, clean finish. The subtle technological look provides a clean and futuristic appearance. The luxurious feel is underpinned by modern, intuitive and relevant structural design proportions, designed to work harmoniously with the strong iconic legacy and its original purpose to create a calm and controlled strength for its owner - turning every second into an experience to savour.

The Roadster Futurity, a watch with a peerless character, from the restraint of its case and bezel curved exterior to the flawless tranquil surface of its dial.

A different colour palette could elevate its elegant proportions and clean surfaces while potential sub-dials for a chronograph complication in this case would be more progressive than ever. Customers could have a wider choice of materials and finishes, including innovative and sustainable bracelet and straps. A perfect set of options for watch-lovers who prefer a bit more colour than usual.

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VIII - FUTURE LUXURY

When it comes to luxury products Cartier is one among the many well-recognised top-tier manufacturers out there. Nowadays, Cartier is often affiliated with high-end jewellery, given the immense popularity of their products like the Love Bracelet or the Trinity de Cartier ring, and a whole lot more. With their unwavering reputation in the jewellery industry, people often overlook their impact and contributions in watchmaking.?

The beauty of Cartier watches lies in the brand’s ability to stay true to design codes while still offering plenty of choices.

Overall, the Cartier Roadster is a functional and creatively unique collection that definitely deserves the hype. The beauty behind it is that this series was a product of a rich heritage and a strong commitment, creating eccentric and innovative timepieces. Even though the collection has been discontinued, the Cartier Roadster has made its impact in the luxury watchmaking industry by being regarded as one of the most distinct sports watches to ever exist.

There was this discussion once, on the idea of luxury for a watch, whether it would (and could) be in Stainless Steel or other materials. One aspect of luxury could nowadays lies in the sustainable approach to the product. Another would also be the luxury of Eternity.?

In this disposable, digital age, a fine wristwatch will never need to have obsolete hardware or software upgraded - if properly maintained it will potentially live on and on, its ticking escapement heart beating forever. It hasn’t been made by robots, but by passionate men and women whose peerless skills are secured for generations by these tiny objects. The luxury of a hand-crafted mechanical watch is, then, the luxury of time, eternity and humanity, whether in steel, gold, platinum or aluminium silicon carbide.?

The very origins of the wristwatch stem from the needs of those magnificent men in their flying machines – and even in the age of the drone, pilot’s watches have never lost their appeal, or cool factor. For watches to embody the art of luxury, artists blessed with the required talents must work tirelessly to craft such objects of outstanding beauty. The fruits of their labour are lauded and many of those that acquire their products are praised for their excellent taste.?

Pre-quartz, a luxury watch was a watch cased in gold or platinum, rather than quotidian steel. The mechanics were a given, branding per se didn’t have the value association it does now, so it all boiled down to the rarefied heft of its metal. A gold luxury watch was like another piece of jewellery, in other words.?

What happens next for such timepieces? ?

What is happening now for smartwatches?

Is there a life for them through smartwatches? Do they even need a digital life?

In car interiors, it has become much cheaper to put a 17 inch flat screen on the dashboard than a bunch of different buttons. For a watch, besides putting a touch-screen into a gold case, how do you really and honestly translate luxury and jewellery into it??

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IX - Final Thoughts (Conclusion)

Not only are watches tools… They are memories and bring out very strong emotions.

A watch can be seen as a piece of equipment that you use in all the various things that you do, whether diving, riding, flying (even flying in space), so it has to be reliable. It has to perform its functions.

A watch can also be seen as a carrier for history, a supplier for memories. One day doing some complex or not tasks, by glancing at your watch you may remember your father and your mother when they gave it to you, and there is something about having your family there with you that can help you overcome any adversity you may encounter, maybe “making sure you are not messing up and making mistakes”. Maybe you got a offered a watch by your parents for a milestone birthday. Maybe you received, inherited a watch one of your relative bought for him or herself as you were taking your first step into the world…

So there’s again a lot of great memories associated with it.

Today or many years from now you may look at this watch and think of that particular person who is not around anymore, and it will bring back memories. Sometimes hard, even agonizing, but most often joyful nonetheless.

It is definitely one of the interesting things about watches, as there starts to be a history that begins to emerge. And when you hand the watch off to your child, then you wonder what that history will be, what that continuity will be, and what they will be doing with it as well.

LS.