Cartier Privé Tortue Monopoussoir Chronograph

Quick specs Cartier Privé Tortue Monopoussoir Chronograph
Price:
€ 46.000 | CHF 49’100 | $ 51,000 | approx. £ 40,000 (yellow gold)
€ 53.000 | CHF 57’000 | $ 59,000 | approx. £ 45,000 (platinum)
Size: 43.7 mm x 34.8 mm
Reference: CRWHTO0007 (yellow gold) | CRWHTTO0008 (platinum) –limited to 200 pieces each

The French luxury brand takes us back to the end of the 1920s with this Cartier Privé Tortue Monopoussoir Chronograph. An ultra-classic looking chronograph that follows the design of Cartier’s 1928 Tortue Monopoussoir, also Cartier’s very first chronograph. Back then it was only 25 by 35 millimeters, with the start, stop, and reset functions controlled by just one pusher, integrated into the crown.

Let’s look at the name first. The watch is part of Cartier’s Privé series, a line with rather strange case shapes like asymmetric or bowed Tank models or this turtle (“tortue” in French) shaped one. Mono-pusher in French is “monopoussoir”, so the name makes sense now.

1920s design with triangular motifs and a rail-track

This Cartier Privé Tortue Monopoussoir Chronograph comes either in yellow gold or platinum, and both are limited to 200 pieces. The gold version has a grained golden-finish dial with black printed Roman numerals and a sapphire cabochon. The platinum version has a silvered opaline dial with rhodium-plated Roman numerals and a ruby cabochon.

The sub dial on the left shows the small seconds, the sub dial on the right is a 30-minute totalizer. Both watches have blued-steel apple-shaped hands, a hollowed-out central seconds hand and triangular motifs on the four corners of the dial. There is also a classic rail-track on the outside of the dial to make it even more 1920s.

The Cartier Privé Tortue Monopoussoir Chronograph has a power reserve of 44 hours

Inside runs a hand-wound Cartier caliber 1928 MC delivering a power reserve of 44 hours when fully wounded. It has Côte de Genève decoration highlighting the shape of the bridges. Furthermore, the levers, springs and bridges are beveled, the metal is brushed, and the wheels and barrels are rimmed. Flip the watch and you will be able to admire all this craftmanship.

The Cartier Privé Tortue Monopoussoir Chronograph models come with two alligator leather straps. And both are secured with an ardillon buckle from the same material as the case.