Cartier’s ascent in the world of haute horology was helmed by the prodigiously talented Carole Forestier-Kasapi. As Cartier’s head of movement development, she helped the brand introduce their first in-house movements in 2008. In the years that followed, Cartier introduced a range of inventive high complication watches that caught the attention of the collecting community.

The present watch is a great example of the mechanical ingenuity that was a hallmark of her tenure at Cartier. The Astrocalendaire brings together two high complications – a tourbillon and a perpetual calendar. But that’s just half the story – the perpetual calendar eschews the traditional display but instead shows the day, date, and month via a concentric multi-tier display that leads down to the tourbillon.

The grey 18k white gold dial with a sun-ray guilloche forms a striking contrast with the pink gold accents on the dial and the stepped tiered-structure of the perpetual calendar display is akin to an amphitheater with the tourbillon serving as the centre stage. All the indications except for the day can be adjusted via the crown, except for the day which is advanced via a pusher on the case band. The crown-adjusted functions go both backwards and forwards, making adjusting the watch a real breeze.

Unlike regular Cartier models, the Cal. 9459 MC carries the prestigious Hallmark of Geneva, a further indication of the quality. According to Cartier’s press release, the engineers replaced springs and levers traditionally used in perpetual calendars, with gears, to increase the reliability in the long-term. The brand introduced the Astrocalendaire in 2014 in platinum, the pink gold version with a more minimalist dial design was offered in 2017 as a limited edition of just 30 pieces.