The Cartier Pasha

How do you make a brand which is arguably more famous for its high class writing instruments, become equally well known and admired for its haute horology watches? It’s no easy feat, but it is one which Jerome Lambert seems to have pulled off with much aplomb following the brands’ highly successful reception at SIHH 2014. In terms of watches, Cartier Santos 100s perhaps best known for its Santos 100 chronograph, however, one of the watches to grace the Cartier event stand was the from the Pasha. The watches are made in dedicated observance of the finest Swiss watchmaking traditions, so look not for trendiness in this collection, but the elegance and savoir faire of what Swiss watchmaking can be at its best. And what exactly is that? Well, like the Swiss themselves, conservative, sober, discreet, but effortlessly elegant and exactingly precise.The Pulsograph is a rose gold encased watch with a chronograph developed fully in-house, and powered by an in-house chronograph movement. The watch also features a pulsometer running around the dial, so if your son has recently passed his medical exams, this could be the watch upon which his medical career can be founded. The pulsometer is calibrated for 30 pulse beats. This means a doctor can get an accurate pulse reading without having to count for a full minute. Besides being able to read a pulse, the watch can also serve admirably as a smart and formal dress watch. It’s sensibly sized at just a shade over 41mm. Some complain that with a white dial anything over 42mm shines out like a beacon, so this watch slips unobtrusively under the shirt cuff. The Dauphine dial hands are designed to catch the light, while the silvered dial is clean, and uncluttered, even with the pulsometer graph. Subtly tucked away on the rose gold case just under 6 o’clock is a discreet Cartier diamond which, with its six-sided cut, luxuriously echoes the famous Cartier star on the top of the brand’s writing instruments. Despite its supremely technical nature, this piece also displays some fine hand-finishing. One hour hand features a sunray brushed finish, the other contrasts superbly with a black guilloché background and also features an unusual spiral guilloché centre. The middle section of the dial which remains in place is silvered and is hand-decorated with “Grain d’orge” guilloche. Similarly the date/chronograph counter has circular-brushed satin detailing with darker aesthetics for the chronograph side. A sapphire bridge which traverses the date/chronograph indication and a sapphire minute track are subtle modern inclusions in an otherwise traditionally crafted timepiece. http://blog.qooza.hk/watchesukchm?eid=27484440 http://watchesukchm.blogcu.com/cartier-pasha-watches-compared/19921981