The Want List / 001
CartierTortue Monopoussoir
I really, really shouldn't have discovered this watch.
How I got here
I bought a Santos-Dumont.
Naturally, that led me down the Cartier rabbit hole. Tank. Ceinture. Cintrée. CPCP.
And then this.
Weird shape. Amazing.
Then I found out what's inside
The monopusher chronograph movement is the Calibre 045MC. Made by THA.
THA is the workshop founded in 1996 by three names that need no introduction: François-Paul Journe, Vianney Halter and Denis Flageollet.
Yes. That F.P. Journe and Halter.
Flageollet went on to found De Bethune. Suddenly this wasn't “just” a Cartier anymore.
THA 045MC
Not just one
Yellow gold, rose gold, white gold. Black Roman numerals or blue.
I have changed my mind about which one I want three times this month, and I am no closer to an answer than when I started.
So, would I actually buy one?
Yes. Very much.
But they go for fifty to a hundred thousand dollars. So, no. Not this year, and probably not next.
This might be one of those watches I spend three years talking about before I finally buy one.
One day, though.
The watch
| Reference | 2396 · Collection Privée Cartier Paris |
|---|---|
| Produced | c. 1998–2008 |
| Case | 43 × 34 mm · yellow, rose or white gold |
| Movement | Calibre 045MC · manual wind · monopusher chronograph |
Where it sits
| How much I want it | 9.5 / 10 |
|---|---|
| Can I afford it? | Not even close |
| Should I buy now? | Probably shouldn't |
| Will I keep looking? | 100% |
One day, though.
- Images.
- Cartier Tortue Monopoussoir photography — add source and photographer before publishing.
- Santos-Dumont photograph — mine.