Replica Cartier Drive de Replica Cartier Extra-Flat, in review
Among the many models invented by Replica Cartier, the Cartier Drive de Cartier is one of the most beautiful and successful, a perfect example of the classic and elegant style of the French maison. Presented last year at the SIHH in Geneva in three versions, this year the series is enriched with this simple and essential example with only two hands.
Reflecting on the aesthetic and technical choices of this model and comparing it with the three existing models, the concept of purity has been taken to the extreme: the current model does not even have the date, which would lead one to think of an excessive simplification (on the contrary the absence of the date is one of the pluses of this Drive), but if you stop to analyze the model on a technical and not just purely aesthetic level, you can notice a thickness of less than 7mm, i.e. 40% less than the model basic.
Many do not consider ultra-thin as a complication, but in fact this is not really the case because combining technical refinement with robustness, movement precision and aesthetic beauty by reducing the thickness of the entire watch to a minimum, without it breaking, is a all effects. The claim “Less is more” has never been more relevant. Thanks to the 21600 A/h Cartier 430MC manual caliber with 18 jewels with a diameter of 20.5mm and a thickness of 2.15mm derived from Piaget, known for its manufacture of ultra-flat calibers of excellence since the 1950s/60s such as the famous 9P a manual winding and the self-winding 12P, the Cartier Drive de Cartier Extra-Flat offers not only style, elegance and wearability but robustness and reliability combined with precision and longevity.
The dial is minimalist, satin gray in colour, with large Roman numerals drawn on the sides and a minute scale in the centre, which reflects the design of the 38mm x 39mm cushion-shaped case. The sapphire crystal is flat and shaped on the case mounted, and recessed on its internal perimeter. The Cartier Drive de Cartier Extra-Flat is offered in rose gold or white gold, in the latter case in a limited series of just 200 pieces, polished on the bezel, lugs and external perimeter of the caseback, and satin-finished on the thin case band. The caseback is closed by 8 small screws (not pressure screws), confirming its extreme construction refinement.
Another classic and refined detail is the geometry of the bolt-shaped crown, with a faceted sapphire in the centre, typical of Cartier, and the beautiful, finely worked thin alligator leather strap and “C”-shaped pin clasp by Cartier. I find the Cartier Drive de Cartier Extra-Flat very beautiful precisely because those who know how to appreciate its aesthetics and wearability, as well as its technique and innate elegance, will feel like having a second skin on their wrist. Who knows if next year it won’t also be presented in an automatic version and with a micro rotor, making it even more practical but equally refined. The price of the new Cartier Drive de Cartier Extra-Flat, in dollars, is 15,600 for the rose gold version and 16,700 for the white gold version.
