This is Cartier’s most complex movement ever, developed over five years and integrating the three major haute horlogerie complications: tourbillon, perpetual calendar, and minute repeater. Composed of 578 components and measuring only 5.49 mm thick, it is currently the thinnest movement in the world that combines all three grand complications.
At 12 o’clock sits the tourbillon, while the perpetual calendar displays include the day at 3 o’clock, month and leap year at 6 o’clock, and date at 9 o’clock.
The movement uses a dial-side hammer layout, allowing the wearer to admire the striking mechanism directly from the front. The minute repeater is activated by a push button, similar to the solution seen on Lange’s latest repeater, but Cartier takes it further by successfully integrating two separate barrels—a main barrel and a secondary barrel dedicated to powering the minute repeater. This ensures that operating the chiming mechanism does not interfere with the watch’s other complications.
With a 40-hour power reserve, it performs exceptionally well for such a complex movement. On the caseback, a micro-rotor positioned at 3 o’clock winds both barrels, turning clockwise and counterclockwise to distribute energy efficiently—now a hallmark of ultra-thin haute horlogerie movements.
The Rotonde de Cartier Grand Complication features a 45 mm platinum case, 12.6 mm thickness, sapphire crystal front and back, platinum crown set with a cabochon sapphire, blue steel hands, the 9406 MC movement (47 jewels, 21,600 vph, 50-hour power reserve), an alligator-leather strap, and a white-gold folding clasp. Water resistance is 30 meters.
Complications include tourbillon, perpetual calendar, and minute repeater.
