Cartier Tortue Diamond

Though Cartier has produced some fine mechanical watches during its 170 year history (such as the perennial favorite, the Tank Louis Cartier), by the 1990s the brand was known primarily as a producer of quartz watches. In an effort to rejuvenate their status as a premier manufacture, in 1998 Cartier launched the Collection Privée Cartier Paris, or CPCP for short. The Collection Privée resurrected classic wristwatch designs from the Cartier archives and utilized high-grade mechanical movements from the likes of Piaget, Jaeger-LeCoultre, and Girard-Perregaux.  Conceived in the 1920s, the Torture featured an entirely different silhouette than that of the more traditional Tank. While their Tank collection grew to include a number of shapes (Française, Louis, Cintrée or Basculante, just to name a few), the Tortue stood out with its sensuous curves that lent themselves well to many different watches — from time-only models to more involved complications. This example, a Reference 2498, features a 34mm 18K rose gold tonneau case with factory-set diamond bezel and a cabochon crown with a sapphire inset. The silver dial features a guilloche finish with Roman indices, a matching blued-steel Breguet handset and a hidden Cartier signature at 7 o'clock. Powered by manually wound movement, this piece is outfitted with a signed black alligator leather strap with a 18K rose gold deployant clasp.  Don't be fooled by its svelte profile. This piece packs some serious design punch from one of the best design houses on the planet!