The ocean, the birthplace of life, is vast and gorgeous. Its mystery and vastness can always evoke people’s desire to explore and conquer. It also gives watchmakers ample inspiration and writes a legend of diving watches that spans the century.
First water: Cartier’s first waterproof watch
When the wristwatch was just born in the early 20th century, wearing the watch to dive into the sea was just a dream. At that time, the first difficult problem to be solved was how to prevent the watch from water vapor in daily wear. For centuries, how to protect watches from external factors (apart from dust, water and moisture can penetrate the internal mechanism through the case back, the edge of the mirror and the crown) has always plagued the watch industry. It wasn’t until 1926 that Hans Wilsdorf invented and patented the waterproof case, which completely solved the problem. However, due to the difficulty of sealing the angle, achieving the waterproof performance of the square or rectangular case was considered an impossible task at the time. In 1931, Cartier launched the first waterproof watch Tank Étanche, becoming one of the first brands to make true waterproof watches in history. In a public display, the Tank Étanche watch was immersed in a glass container filled with water, which caused a sensation at the time.
Dive into the deep sea: Calibre de Cartier
With the progress of the times, mankind’s exploration of the ocean is also stepping deeper. Today, the world record for unlimited diving is 214 meters, while the world record for rebreather diving is 330 meters. Therefore, ‘300 meters’ has also become the standard depth requirement for diving watches. The Calibre de Cartier diving watch, newly launched in 2014, is water-resistant to 300 meters. With its rigid lines, solid case, and unique structure, it perfectly demonstrates Cartier’s style and meets ISO 6425’s diving requirements. The technical standards of watches have created a new era of ‘diving watches’.
Water-resistant to 300 meters, unidirectional rotating bezel, superluminova hands and hour markers, the new Calibre de Cartier diving watch meets all international standards for diving watches, so it can be engraved on the case back ‘Diver’s watch 300 m’ ( Dive watch 300m). At the same time, its case thickness is only 11 mm, which not only achieves the balance of size proportions, but also maintains the comfort of daily wear. It is one of the thinnest diving watches on the market today. The dial uses distinctive Roman numerals and flanged bezels to reinterpret Cartier’s classic design elements in a masculine and resolute style.
The rotating bezel of this watch is coated with ADLC carbon coating (amorphous diamond-like carbon coating), an innovative material with excellent abrasion resistance, corrosion resistance and scratch resistance similar to diamond. The delicate contrast between frosting and polishing inherits the bloodline of the Calibre de Cartier watch. To prevent accidental rotation or improper operation, the bezel of the Calibre de Cartier dive watch can only be rotated in one direction. Its 120-slot design (40 teeth and 3 points) allows the adjustment accuracy to be accurate to half a minute, and a clear voice prompt can be heard when rotating.
When diving, the watch is subjected to extreme stress and extreme external environments (salt water, thermal shock, etc.). In response to these extreme tests, the Calibre de Cartier dive watch is equipped with thickened mirrors, oversized washers, screw-in casebacks and crowns, ensuring water resistance up to 300 meters. To further improve readability, the new timepieces clearly mark every 5 minute intervals with time stamps. Even in the dark, the time can be clearly displayed and read with the superluminova-coated diving time control indicator (hour and minute hands, presets and small seconds dial).
In order to ensure excellent and stable chronological performance, the Calibre de Cartier dive watch is equipped with the 1904 MC movement. The 1904 MC movement, born in 2010, is the first self-winding mechanical movement independently developed, manufactured and assembled by the watchmakers at Cartier Watch Workshop. Cartier integrates many years of watchmaking craftsmanship and brand essence into the 1904 MC movement, making it a combination of technicality and aesthetics, becoming synonymous with precision, solidity and reliability. The 1904 MC movement is equipped with a small second hand, a calendar display and a 48-hour power reserve. The setting of the dual barrel ensures long-term stability of the winding torque. The two-way winding system replaces traditional steering wheels with novel pawls. The upper bridge and the pendulum are decorated with Geneva ripples, and even the most secret plywood has been meticulously polished and decorated to show the unremitting pursuit of perfection.
Rigorous definition: ISO 6425 international standard
As a veritable diving watch, the performance of the Calibre de Cartier diving watch has reached the international standard of ISO 6425 and passed a series of related performance tests. The ISO 6425 international standard is a standard that true diving watches must comply with. It defines the test standards and functions that diving watches must pass. Only watches that meet this international standard can be labeled ‘Diver’s.’ Watch). In today’s watchmaking world, only a few watches can do it, and the Calibre de Cartier is one of them.
A series of tests specified in the ISO 6425 international standard include: salt water resistance, underwater reliability, thermal shock resistance, high water pressure resistance, external force resistance, ISO 1413 seismic standards, ISO 764 antimagnetic standards Wait. For example, in the rigorous salt and sand solution test, the Calibre de Cartier diving watch was put into a solution of salt and sand, and the bezel was rotated at two revolutions per second for 1 hour and 30 minutes, for a total of 10,800 laps, thereby guaranteeing Normal use of the watch in sea water. In the pressure test, the Calibre de Cartier diving watch was pressured at a depth of 375 meters in 1 minute, and stayed for 2 hours, then raised to a pressure of 3 meters in 1 minute, and stayed for 1 hour. This ensures that the watch can withstand tremendous water pressure and pressure changes.
In addition to systematic testing, if you want to meet the international standard of ISO 6425, each watch must be independently tested to ensure its waterproof performance. In order to ensure a water-resistant depth of 300 meters, each Calibre de Cartier diving watch has to pass a test equivalent to a water depth of 375 meters, thereby providing an additional 25% of safe space based on the indicated water-resistant depth.
From the original glass container filled with water to a depth of 300 meters, the new Calibre de Cartier diving watch inherits the spirit of Cartier’s bold adventure, courage, and curiosity, accompanied by people diving into the ocean floor, exploring a A whole new world.