Released in the 1990s, the Carter Diabolo is perhaps one of the least understood and most visually unique models to come from the iconic French Maison. While famed for their jewelry and a handful of influential timepieces like the Tank, Santos, and so on, Cartier has a myriad of more obscure and unusual watch models in their repertoire, and this Diabolo is undoubtedly one of the most intriguing.
Named after the resemblance that its crown has with a cup-shaped juggling apparatus, the Cartier Diabolo is a uniquely 90’s design that harkens to some of the brand’s lesser-known historical models. As such, it's 32mm circular case lacks the angled edges that have become so symbolic of their design language, instead featuring a circular case with a round polished profile devoid of edges. What immediately comes to mind for me is its resemblance to the early and exceedingly rare ‘Pebble’ that came out of Cartier London in the ’70s.
The platinum Diabolo I have here is a limited-edition variant that was made in only 50 examples, making this something you certainly will not see very often. Despite its 32mm size, the long and elaborate lugs ensure this hugs and cover the wrist well, wearing larger than its size suggests.
Furthermore, this platinum variant features a stunningly beautiful salmon dial that Cartier usually only reserves for special limited editions. Complemented by the brand’s signature engine-turned guilloche dial, platinum Roman hour markers, and a manually winding Cartier Cal. 9P2 caliber, what you get is a very unusual Cartier that remains surprisingly familiar in its DNA.
