by Jerrica Tisdale

Often, the only accessory a man wears is a nice timepiece. He needs to find something that shows his style. He needs a watch to draw the right attention, one that defines his maturity and masculinity.  Buying the right one requires the same amount of searching, carefully trying out, and researching that picking a nice suit, or a good pair of jeans, does.

A man that wants a watch to tell a story, have a history, and luxurious style should try out one  from the Cartier collections. One piece that has style and shows a glimmer of classic finesse is the Cartier Rotonde De Cartier W1580032.

This timeless gem has many standard features with a twist.  Some of them are:

• Instead of the basic numeral clock times, the time is completely Roman numerals.
• It’s made of alligator skin strap.
• The hands are sword shaped and blue steel.
• Double adjustable deployant buckle in 18K pink gold
• Water resistant to 30 meters/100 feet
• 45mm in diameter, 15.7 mm thick
• Combined tourbillon and chronograph
• Cased in eighteen K. Pink gold and sapphire circled
• Sapphire case back

Another cool thing about this watch is that it’s a limited edition one. There are only fifty around.  So if you love the clean look then you should buy it while supplies last.

There are many great Cartier timepieces, so if this watch is a little over your budget, but you still want to purchase a Cartier watch, then you might consider the Cartier Ballon Bleu W6920009. The outer materials, aesthetically, are almost mirror the Rotonde W1580032. Both use 18K gold and sapphire in their construction, and both have sword like clock

Rotonde De-Cartier W1580032

Cartier Ballon Bleu w6920009

hands.  They also both use the Roman numeral dials, instead of numerical ones.

They differ in that the Ballon Bleu W6920009 is a little bigger, being 47mm in diameter, and the Rotonde W1580032 is 45mm.  The Rotonde W1580032 also has the tourbillon, and the Ballon Bleu W6920009 does not. They are also shaped a little different.

There are only little differences that distinguish these two pieces, so the choice between them could depend on price. The Ballon Bleu W6920009 retails for $26,200 and Rotonde retails for $182,000.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• The classical look makes it appeal to a man of almost any style
• The tourbillon is a cool advance feature on a relatively basic timepiece

Cons

• The Roman numeral clock may not appeal to those that want to view the time easily.
• The alligator skin strap could cause rashes or irritation to sensitive skin

Overall, the Cartier Rotonde De Cartier W1580032 is a very nice timepiece. It’s simple, which makes it reminiscence of vintage watches, but have some advance features, like the tourbilon. It seems like a watch a man will keep for a lifetime. The only major flaw with the watch is the price. I am sure with the right amount of dedication, you can easily find a watch that looks like this, has the same quality and features, for much less. But if you have the money, and really want a Cartier watch I think this one is a good choice. Any man would love this watch.