Today Home and Decoration remember you of a futuristic concept watch from Cartier.
Cartier is rare among watch manufacturers because it only launches concept watches that reveal its future plans for all to see. Its last concept watch from its crystal ball: ID Two.
This technical time machine looks like something teleported to these days from the year of 2020.
The ID Two press event in Neuchâtel was more like a science fair demonstration than a luxury watch launch. In a series of four workshops, the team showed off the ID Two’s features, including a crystal-clear case, mainsprings fashioned from optical fibers, and a movement that exists in a vacuum. This is the future according to Cartier.
The ID Two’s most visually striking feature is its clear case, which is made from a material that is new to watch making. Cartier calls the material Ceramyst. It’s a polycrystalline ceramic consisting of magnesium, aluminum and oxygen. Unlike synthetic sapphire, Ceramyst can be molded – it does not require laborious machining and polishing. If you’re wondering whether the clear case is tough, Cartier says it’s the same material used for the bulletproof windows at the White House.
The case material is extremely dense, and the two-part construction reduces the gasket length by 48 percent compared with a traditional design. These features facilitate another intriguing ID Two feature: a 99.8-percent vacuum inside the case.
Why a vacuum? It is common knowledge that air pushes against, or resists, things trying to move through it.
In creating the ID Two, Cartier set three goals for itself: storing maximum energy in a minimum space, increasing energy transmission efficiency, and reducing energy consumption. Meeting all three goals would naturally result in an extended power reserve. A regular-size watch that runs for 32 days on a single wind represents an undisputed triumph.
Like the companies that produce futuristic concept cars for major auto shows, Cartier says it has no plans to commercialize the ID Two yet. Rather, the advances it embodies will find their way into future production watches.
Truthfully, a one of a kind watch. Collectors must wait to get their hands on this Cartier’s preciosity.