Calibre de Cartier - Short review

[GenTLe]

Loved this watch from 1st sight.

Here a very short review of the one I purchased from ToroBravo.

 

History of the model:

There is a word that is thrown around a lot in the watch world that means the public takes a watch (or anything else for that matter) seriously. That word is legitimacy and I love to hear the French pronounce it. Cartier is what they call a legitimate brand. They have heaps of reputation, a solid history and plenty of important people who wear their products. Classic Cartier designs are also a great influence to their direct competitors. They really are the model of a solid luxury watch brand.

A few years ago, Cartier decided that this was not enough. They wanted even more legitimacy, especially with the growing population of seasoned watch lovers. This meant adding a lot more high-end watches to their range, as well as offering in-house made movements.

The first watches to contain in-house Cartier movements were very high-end. Cartier offered a brand new look and feel to the type of watch that could bear the Cartier name. All these watches had exotic movements and prices were on par with that of some very nice real estate.

In 2010 Cartier announced the release of the simply named Calibre, a story that I covered here. The new masculine watch offered a sporty look (more so than Cartier’s other sport watches such as the Pasha, Santos, and Roadster) as well as, for the first time, an “entry-level” Cartier with an in-house movement.

 

Some picture of the GEN one to compare:

   

 

The rep:

I like it a lot, even if it's not fully identical to the gen.

The main differences I spotted are:

- the movement (obvious). Even if I have to say that ToroBravo version has a very well finished asian ETA clone which is much better than other TD versions which have a gold caliber or goldish engraving on the rotor. This is the main reason I went for TB version.

- the silver circle around the seconds subdial in the gen pass exactly by the hole of the main hands stem, in the rep is 2/3mm below it

- the 4 superluminova square dots @12, 3, 6 and 9 look a bit yellowish at normal daylight. I couldn't get it they are like them in the gen too...

- the gen lugs have a shine finiture on the borders, the rep are fully brushed

Anyway these are all minor flaws for me. I really like this watch even if it appear "huge" regarless its 43mm size

[Wetmuffin]

that's a nice unbiased review. thanks. That looks like a great piece mate, the detail on the rehault is what caught my eye.  

 

P.s The lume on your Pro hunter is a great shade of blue, i wasn't so lucky on the regular GMT BLNR by BP

[GenTLe]

Thanks WM, any way it has a big flaw (that I have seen only after some week from purchase): the sec @6 dial is located in a different position respect to the gen.

See here:

 

In this moment the watch is in 3 different countries

- Glass should be in Finland @Sunnydale for an AR treatment

- caliber should be @SSteel (Finland too if I remember right...) for a service & cleanup

- dial and hands should be @KeNnY in Slovakia to relume like the pic below (the 4 greenish/jellowish lume spots on the rep dial are too bad, regardless the wrong color and weak luminosity)

 

Edited August 10, 2014 by GenTLe

[Jimster]

The version Wacko Bird carries is correct if anyone is looking for a close to gen.

[pam 816]

Great review mate! thank you for this. I'm thinking of getting this Cartier.

[GenTLe]

Give a look to the RWI model anyway Pam, there is a more correct version there (see Wacko Bird one)