This is one stupendous timepiece. There are no other words to describe it. Meticulously crafted, painstakingly built, and artfully finished, this Cartier Tourbillon watch is a masterpiece inside and out. On the inside, the watch houses the Geneva-seal certified 9458 MC Caliber with flying tourbillon created in house by Cartier in its Manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds. It is the second ladies’ complication (following the superb Tourbillon and Crocodile watch released in 2011).
On the outside, the 18-karat white gold watch features a kingfisher in flight on the dark blue and Tahitian mother-of-pearl dial, bedecked with 210 brilliant-cut diamonds for the wings and 80 cognac-colored diamonds for the body (and an emerald eye). It is finished with translucent opaque blue, orange, yellow and white enamel. The entire case (top, sides, lugs) is meticulously set with diamonds. Just 60 pieces of this stunner will ever be made, and if you have about $221,000 to spare, and if you get on that waiting list, it could be yours. Otherwise, you have to as lucky as me to get to wear it on the wrist for just a short time, and revel in its beauty.