The Cartier Clé de Cartier Mysterious Hour comes in either pink gold or palladium and is 41mm wide. I believe this small amount of extra size was necessary to accommodate the wider movement. The case is still pretty thin at just 11.25mm. Interestingly, from a case material perspective, the Cartier Clé de Cartier Mysterious Hour will be available (at launch) in 18k pink gold as well as 950 palladium. For those craving a bit more “bling,” there is a full pave diamond version – also in palladium.
The original Clé – sounds as though we were talking about a classic, while in fact, it is only around 10 months old – debuted with a 40mm case, but somehow, this 41mm version appeared more complete, more proportionate as a whole. One thing often sacrificed for the sake of added functionality and complication, even with high-end watches, is the way the width and the thickness of the case work together aesthetically – some watches are just too thick for how wide they are, and when it comes to sleek designs like that of the Clé, striking the correct balance is crucially important. This particular version of the Clé looked so “at home” on the wrist because it got these two dimensions just right.
Palladium, since we so scarcely see watches made of this material, deserves a bit of introduction. It is a rare and lustrous silvery-white metal discovered in 1803 by William Hyde Wollaston, who named it after the asteroid Pallas. Palladium, platinum, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium, and osmium form a group of elements referred to as the platinum group metals (PGMs). These have similar chemical properties, but palladium has the lowest melting point and is the least dense of them.
The Cartier Clé de Cartier Mysterious Hour was one of our absolute favorites from Watches & Wonders 2015 because, while it managed to pack some impressive technical details, that didn’t stop it from being a beautifully wearable and elegant dress-watch. Both in terms of tech specs as well as the coherence of its aesthetics – this is the “RS” model in the Clé range of watches, and with prices to match.
Price for the Cartier Clé de Cartier Mysterious Hour is $64,500 in 18k pink gold and $68,500 in palladium, while the full-diamond pave palladium version is $151,000. cartier.com
