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The Cartier Drive de Cartier watch is one of the newer models from the collection, but it has its eye to the past. Introduced in 2016, it is inspired by Cartier’s history of making driver’s watches. With its new cushion-shaped silhouette never before seen in Cartier, and its exquisite dial that references a car’s radiator grille, is it an eminently masculine yet elegant watch made for the gentleman driver.
The Drive is considered the successor to the Roadster which was discontinued in the 2000s. With its curved case yet refined silhouette, it offered a new way of expressing the Cartier design ethos, and truly stood out among rectangular Tanks and round Ballon Bleus. Aside from masterful proportions, the Drive also boasts of in-house movements that provide high efficiency and precision.
Today’s Cartier Drive collection comes with a range of complications that strengthen its high watchmaking appeal: retrograde seconds, day/night indicator, moon phase and flying tourbillon.
Coupled with its sleek design and a choice of steel, rose gold, and yellow gold metals, the Cartier Drive de Cartier is the men’s watch every gentleman needs – stylish and elegant, with a touch of sports luxe. Explore our selection of Cartier Drive watches at SwissWatchExpo.com.
The Cartier Drive de Cartier debuted in 2016 and was met by positive reactions from the press and collectors alike. With its wide cushion shaped case, it introduced a new silhouette within the Cartier line, while recalling the elegance of vintage automobiles.
Cartier has a rich history of creating watches for driving, dating back to the earliest years of the automobile. Angled driving watches, which made reading time easier while on the wheel, were all the rage in the 1930s, and Cartier quickly picked up on the trend with designs like the Cartier Tank Asymetrique.
One of Cartier’s most famous driver’s watches is the Roadster, which made its debut in 2003. Its barrel shaped case was adorned with design details inspired by vintage roadsters from the 1950s, such as the distinctive screws that mimic the headlights on a car, or the dial design with cues from the speedometer of the iconic Porsche 356.
Today, the Cartier Drive de Cartier embraces this part of the French maison’s history, while having a resolutely modern design. It delivers on elegance with its thin, cushion-shaped case, and delivers impact with its large Roman numerals and flinque dial. This is why, while Cartier made the Drive expressly for men, it’s also quietly confident, without the same amount of testosterone associated with dive watches and sports chronographs.
All Drive de Cartier watches come with a cushion-shaped case that measures 38mm high by 39mm wide and feature the trademark Roman numerals, sapphire cabochon on the crown, and silvered dials of Cartier.
The Drive de Cartier collection was first made available in a time and small seconds version in stainless steel and rose gold, powered by the in-house 1904-PS MC movement. This was quickly followed by the Caliber 1904-FU MC edition, which features a multitude of functions - a large date, a retrograde display of second time zone, day/night indicator, and subsidiary seconds – all on a harmoniously arranged dial.
In 2018, Cartier introduced the fine watchmaking edition of the Drive – the Flying Tourbillon. With the aperture at 6 o’clock, it shows not only the mastery of proportion and symmetry, but also technical tour de force, with its manually wound Caliber 9452 MC, a movement with the Seal of Geneva certification.
The latest model from the collection is the Drive de Cartier Extra Flat, introduced in the same year. While keeping the same proportions as the previous editions, this timepiece is just 6.6mm – enough to slide inconspicuously under the cuff. For the first time, the Cartier Drive was also offered in yellow gold, in addition to a steel model. Cartier kept this model minimalist with a sunburst time-only dial.
From the simpler small seconds model to the flying tourbillon, all Cartier Drive de Cartier watches have a timeless look that will always look up to the minute.
The Cartier Drive de Cartier is a modern collection that combines contemporary design with vintage automobile references. Timelessly elegant with a touch of sport luxe, it was designed with the dapper gentleman in mind. Here are the models available under the Cartier Drive de Cartier collection.
Cartier Drive Automatic – the base model of the Cartier Drive comes in a classic dial with Roman numerals, small seconds dial at 6 o’clock, and date at 3 o’clock. This model is available in stainless steel (with a silvered dial or black dial) and 18k rose gold. They are powered by the 1904-PS MC, an in-house Cartier automatic movement that operates at 4Hz.
Cartier Drive Retrograde – this complication model features a myriad of functions on a uniquely arranged dial: small seconds sub-dial located at the 6 o'clock position, large date double-window display at the 12 o'clock position, a retrograde GMT and dual time zone sub-dial located at the 10 o'clock position, and Day and Night disc indicator via a window between the 3 and 4 o'clock position. It is available in stainless steel and 18k rose gold versions, both powered by the manufacture Caliber 1904-FU MC.
Cartier Drive Flying Tourbillon – this fine watchmaking timepiece is powered by the manual winding 9452 MC movement, which carries a Geneva Seal – a distinction only bestowed to the highest level of watchmaking. It also means this watch is assembled only in the Cartier Fine Watchmaking "Poinçon de Genève" workshop, which is based at Cartier Boutique at 35, Rue du Rhône in the heart of Geneva. The tourbillon aperture sits at 6 o’clock, emphasizing the symmetry of the timepiece. This model comes exclusively in rose gold 750/1000 paired with a brown alligator strap.
Cartier Drive Extra Flat – the final model introduced within the line, this model boasts of a slender height of just 6.6mm. It also emphasizes the sleek elegance of the watch with a no-frills dial: no date window or small seconds hand. Within runs Cartier’s 430 MC ultra-thin hand-wound caliber, which based closely on the Piaget 430P. Beating at 21,600vph, the power reserve is of 36 hours. The blue spinel cabochon matches the signature blued steel hands and the matte blue alligator leather strap that comes with the timepiece.
All Cartier models are given a reference number that is used to properly document their manufacture and sale. Cartier reference numbers are made up of 8 randomly assigned characters beginning with letters and ending with numbers.
Below are the reference numbers for the Cartier Drive de Cartier collection:
REFERENCE NUMBERS | MODEL | MATERIAL |
---|---|---|
WSNM0004 | Cartier Drive / Drive de Cartier | Automatic Stainless Steel, Silvered Flinque Dial |
WSNM0005 | Cartier Drive / Drive de Cartier | Automatic Retrograde Stainless Steel, Silvered Flinque Dial |
WSNM0008 | Cartier Drive / Drive de Cartier | Moonphase Stainless Steel, Silvered Flinque Dial |
WGNM0005 | Cartier Drive / Drive de Cartier | Automatic Retrograde Rose gold, Silvered Flinque Dial |
WGNM0004 | Cartier Drive / Drive de Cartier | Automatic Rose gold, Chocolate dial |
WGNM0003 | Cartier Drive / Drive de Cartier | Automatic Rose gold, Silvered Flinque Dial |
WGNM0008 | Cartier Drive / Drive de Cartier | Moonphase Rose Gold, Silvered Flinque Dial |
WSNM0009 | Cartier Drive / Drive de Cartier | Automatic Stainless Steel, Grey Dial |
WSNM0006 | Cartier Drive / Drive de Cartier | Automatic Stainless Steel, Black Dial |
WGNM0007 | Cartier Drive / Drive de Cartier | Automatic Extra-Flat Rose Gold, Silvered Flinque Dial |
W4100013 | Cartier Drive / Drive de Cartier | Flying Tourbillon Rose gold 750/1000 |
The Cartier Drive de Cartier pays tribute to the French maison’s history of making timepieces for the gentleman driver. Here are the most frequently asked questions about the Cartier Drive collection:
The Cartier Drive de Cartier is an entirely new design that debuted in 2016. It features a cushion-shaped case that is new to the Cartier catalog.
Designed especially for men, the Cartier Drive is inspired by vintage automobiles, with elegant styling cues such as high polish cases, flinque dials, and Cartier’s signature Roman numerals and sapphire cabochon crown. As a thin, dressy watch it is more of a daily driver than a high-octane design often associated with chronographs and racing watches.
Cartier Drive watches have a depth rating of 3 bar (or approximately 30 meters or 100 feet). One can safely wear these watches while hand washing and they can withstand water splashes, but they are not intended for use during swimming or snorkeling.
As of 2022, only the Cartier Drive de Cartier Flying Tourbillon watch appears on the Cartier website.
However, other versions such as the Automatic, Retrograde, and Extra-Flat are available in the secondary market. Explore our selection of Cartier Drive de Cartier watches here.