Cartier's 1904-PS MC mechanical movement is an automatic mechanism – the watch is wound by kinetic energy, and the swing of your arm as you walk is enough to keep it ticking. But it's particularly intricate and unique when compared to other automatic movements, and the technological standouts are numerous. It uses double barrels (most automatic watches traditionally have one), and this gives it a highly constant chronometry throughout the duration of the watch's 48-hour power reserve. This means the watch will display time accurately and consistently for two days after you take it off your wrist, even though at that point it's no longer getting wound by the movement of your arm. The Calibre also has a bi-directional winding system in place rather than a more conventional one-way winding of the gears. The rotor's motion is smoothed by ceramic ball bearings instead of oil. This protects it from shock and makes trips to the repair shop less frequent. (This extra shock resistance must be where the "sports" angle comes in.)
Obviously, the accuracy and potential longevity of the inner mechanics should be the ultimate consideration as to whether or not a watch is worth the money. But let's face it – at this price point, the thing should also look damn good.
The polished stainless steel bracelet, the understated design of the dial and the large 42mm case are all demonstratively masculine. The black dial sports a stamped contrasting white XII at 12 o'clock. There's a small seconds counter at 6 o'clock, and the dial is topped with luminescent, sword-shaped hands. Today's date peeks through a crescent-shaped inset. Flip it over, and some of the 186 hand-assembled components inside are visible through the crystal on the back of the exhibition case.
Our test watch's stainless steel band came with enough links for a rich gorilla, but you can obviously remove the links to fit smaller wrists. Ours had a black dial, but it also comes in white, and there's a lower-priced version with a leather band as well as some much-higher-priced models in various gold settings.
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