Cartier Cle de Cartier Review

If I knew any better when I bought this watch, I probably wouldn't have bought this watch. Not a great start to a review but really: it's dressy (like most Cartiers), but with slightly sporty vibes. It has 30m WR, it's funky, it has a metal bracelet, and the crown is weird.

But, I knew I always wanted a Cartier and this one caught my eye back in 2017, when the SS version was first released. It's dressy, it's got a funky crown, and I could get leather straps for it if I wanted to. And so, this was my first luxury watch purchase.

The case of this particular reference is 40mm in diameter, with very short lug-to-lug of 44mm, and thickness of 10.3mm. It looks quite similar to the old Omega C-shape cases, but with extra details to make it dressier, whilst having a slight sporty edge to it.

Bracelet is quite unique for the watch, and it's beautiful to look at. Very comfortable too. Butterfly clasp, but unfortunately no half links or any sort of adjustments. So you know it's either going to slide around everywhere or cut off your hand's blood supply. At least it looks beautiful.

The motif for Cle de Cartier is, if you know French you'd already have known, the key. The website also mentions the perfect circle but I feel like that description is more apt for the Ballon Bleu. In any case, the key motif can be found on the dial (guilloche pattern shaped like a key hole) and the crown (you turn the crown like an old pocket watch key, not well pictured above).

So who is this watch for? Probably not for someone buying a luxury timepiece for the first time. But for dress watch connoisseuers looking for something a little out of the left field (but not too much), or ex-hipster wanna-bes like me, I think this watch is perfect.

Cartier Cle de Cartier Review

4.6
Yes No
5/5
5/5
4/5
4/5
5/5
  • Beautifully executed
  • Serves its purpose well
  • Somewhat unique at least in the enthusiast circle
  • No half-links/adjustment system
  • Sporty attributes but without the specifications
  • No one knows about this watch
Reply
·

Thank you for the review and beautiful picture ❤️. Really hoping to get a Cartier of my very own this year but still a little undecided on which model, so I find reviews like this exceedingly helpful. 👍 

·
DeeperBlue

Thank you for the review and beautiful picture ❤️. Really hoping to get a Cartier of my very own this year but still a little undecided on which model, so I find reviews like this exceedingly helpful. 👍 

Thank you for the encouragement! Honestly, I think the Tank and Ballon Bleu models are popular for a good reason, they just look right. Also FWIW my wife decided on the Tank after much deliberation 😊.

·

i think it is a great watch. it is one of the underappreciated line of Cartier and more people need to get to know the Cle rather than just Tanks and Santos. 

·

I agree on the butterfly clasp and the lack of half-links. That would have been a non-starter for me. Great point to call out.

·
thewatchpanther

i think it is a great watch. it is one of the underappreciated line of Cartier and more people need to get to know the Cle rather than just Tanks and Santos. 

Thank you! Definitely, their heritage watches are superb of course but their new watches are great too!

·
hbein2022

I agree on the butterfly clasp and the lack of half-links. That would have been a non-starter for me. Great point to call out.

I mean on one hand, I was wearing a pretty ill-fitting watch for about two years before I really started delving deep into horology so... 😅

·

That is a stunning watch! I bet the built quality is off the charts. 

·
Time2watch

That is a stunning watch! I bet the built quality is off the charts. 

Thank you! It's something I did not truly appreciate until I got back to experiencing more affordable watches!