Cartier Shape Your Time: Calibre de Cartier Diver

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What Cartier wristwatch is able to provide such a luminous display in the dark? This is none other than the Calibre de Cartier Diver launched early this year at the 2014 Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie held in Geneva. Photo: Nils Herrmann © Cartier

What Cartier wristwatch is able to provide such a luminous display in the dark? This is none other than the Calibre de Cartier Diver launched early this year at the 2014 Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie held in Geneva. Photo: Nils Herrmann © Cartier

If you do not already own one, can you recall the most recent encounter with a Cartier wristwatch on a friend or family member?

Given the brand’s widespread popularity, it would have been very recent. Now, what collection was it from?

Was it the Tank, the Santos or Ballon Bleu de Cartier? It would most certainly be quite easy to recall for the case shapes of these Cartier watches are unique to the brand and are iconic, even for the young Ballon Bleu de Cartier, a line that was launched in 2007.

What’s more, did you know that the Santos watch is older than the Tank and is more than a century old?

Or that the very first Tank watch is said to have been given to General John Pershing who was the commanding officer of the American Expeditionary Force in Europe in 1918?

Now if you are in Singapore during the weekend of 24 and 25 May, then perhaps it will be good chance to be better acquainted with the history of these iconic collections by visiting the Cartier Shape Your Time exhibition being held at Ngee Ann City.

The two-day exhibition is open to the public and is being held at the Civic Plaza in Ngee Ann City (10am to 8pm).

Singapore is the first stop for this exhibition which will not only showcase the iconic Santos de Cartier, Tank and Ballon Bleu de Cartier watches but also the newest family member, the Calibre de Cartier Diver.

The main attraction of the exhibition will be the Calibre de Cartier Diver. This watch is what we would describe as a highly-refined and robust sports watch worthy of serious consideration.

The 42mm Calibre de Cartier Diver in pink gold. Powered by the Calibre 1904 MC automatic movement, the Calibre de Cartier satisfies the ISO 6425 standards for a diver’s watch. It features a unidirectional rotating bezel and is water-resistant to 300 metres. Priced at SGD37,200 including tax (around US$29,700 / MYR96,000 (Malaysian Ringgit)). Photo: © Cartier

The 42mm Calibre de Cartier Diver in pink gold. Powered by the Calibre 1904 MC automatic movement, the Calibre de Cartier satisfies the ISO 6425 standards for a diver’s watch. It features a unidirectional rotating bezel and is water-resistant to 300 metres. Priced at SGD37,200 including tax (around US$29,700 / MYR96,000 (Malaysian Ringgit)). Photo: © Cartier

The Calibre de Cartier satisfies the requirements for ISO 6425 diver’s watch standards and is water-resistant to 300 metres.

The pink gold version is priced at SGD37,200 including tax (around US$29,700) while the steel model is priced at SGD10,900.

A visit to the exhibition over the 24-25 May weekend will allow those interested to discover more.

Hamilton Khaki Takeoff Auto Chrono Limited Edition: Radar “lock-on”

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Hamilton Khaki Takeoff Auto Chrono Limited Edition. Introduced at BaselWorld 2014, it has a detachable movement module which means it can be fitted into a wristwatch housing or stored nicely and separately into a storage box that looks like a cockpit dashboard. Priced at around US$3,295 / 2,500 euros / CHF2,995 / around SGD4,300 (Singapore dollars) / MYR11,000 (Malaysian Ringgit). Photo: © TANG Portfolio. BaselWorld 2014

The 46.3mm Hamilton Khaki Takeoff Auto Chrono Limited Edition. Introduced at BaselWorld 2014, it has a detachable movement module which means it can be fitted into a wristwatch housing or stored nicely and separately on a storage console that looks like a cockpit dashboard. Priced at around US$3,295 / 2,500 euros / CHF2,995 / around SGD4,340 (Singapore dollars) / MYR10,380 (Malaysian Ringgit). Photo: © TANG Portfolio. BaselWorld 2014

With its “Bullhead look” what with its two chronograph pushers set at the one and eleven o’clock positions, yellow accents for the first 15 minutes on the bi-directional inner rotating flange controlled by the bezel and the aeroplane-shaped yellow pointer on the chronograph seconds hand, Hamilton’s Khaki Takeoff Auto Chrono is by itself, already a handsome-looking piece.

But the amazing team at Hamilton, led by CEO Sylvain Dolla and their head of product development, Alexandre Gannac, did not want to stop there; rather, they revived and evolved their earlier concept seen on another amazing product, the Hamilton Khaki Navy Pioneer Limited Edition of 2012.

That concept was the use of a detachable movement module that could be fitted into either a wristwatch housing or a “marine chronometer” box. It was indeed a fabulous idea.

Hamilton’s Khaki Takeoff Auto Chrono features a detachable movement module that allows it to be fitted into a wristwatch housing or stored into a cockpit dashboard panel. The Khaki Takeoff is powered by the Calibre H-31 automatic movement with 60 hours of power reserve. Photo: © TANG Portfolio

Hamilton’s Khaki Takeoff Auto Chrono features a detachable movement module that allows it to be fitted into a wristwatch housing or stored into a cockpit dashboard panel. The Khaki Takeoff is powered by the Calibre H-31 automatic movement with 60 hours of power reserve. Photo: © TANG Portfolio

In 2014, a similar concept is applied for the Hamilton Khaki Takeoff Auto Chrono. This time, the watch can either be a pilot’s watch with the movement module fitted into a wristwatch housing or a “cockpit clock” when it is stored in the watch box.

To secure the movement module, fit the Khaki Takeoff Auto Chrono into the wristwatch housing and twist it in the direction of the two yellow arrows to have it “locked” in. Photo: © TANG Portfolio

To secure the movement module, fit the Khaki Takeoff Auto Chrono into the wristwatch housing and twist it in the direction of the two yellow arrows to have it “locked” in. Photo: © TANG Portfolio

The Hamilton Khaki Takeoff comes with a wooden watch box that looks like a steel riveted storage case and inside is a removable “console” that looks like part of a cockpit dashboard panel. Taking centrestage is a slot specially made to fit the movement module of the Khaki Takeoff.

Once secured, it becomes a “cockpit clock” or rather, a cool tabletop clock stand.

The Hamilton Khaki Takeoff Auto Chrono takes centrestage in the console found in the watch box. Now it becomes a cool “cockpit clock” or tabletop clock stand when this handsome pilot’s watch is off your wrist. Photo: © TANG Portfolio

The Hamilton Khaki Takeoff Auto Chrono takes centrestage in the console found in the watch box. Now it becomes a cool “cockpit clock” or tabletop clock stand when this handsome pilot’s watch is off your wrist. Photo: © TANG Portfolio

Hamilton has been on our radar for some years now and the brand has introduced many clever and innovative ideas to revive and refresh the watch collecting hobby in their price segment.

Production of the Hamilton Khaki Takeoff is limited to 1,999 pieces and this watch is likewise, already “radar locked-on” for us as we give it a three-thumbs-up!

Another article on timewerke.com that may be of interest: Hamilton Pan Europ 2014 Edition: Calibre H-30 Day-Date