Artistic talent and watchmaking creativity knows no bounds as the Parisian brand has once again proved to us with a wonderfully poetic and complex take on the Rotonde. A cut-out white gold grid has lies over the lapis lazuli disc which forms the dial to showcase a globe and elongated Roman numerals. The Earth has a 24 hour second time zone plus hours and minutes with two sword-shaped blue steel hands. The tourbillon acts as the Moon and takes pride of place in the lower half. Press the pusher at 4 o’ clock for a little blue disc to appear and sit on top of the tourbillon cage to partly cover it and present the current moon phase. This mechanical and lyrical magic is conjured up by the manual wind 9440 MC calibre with a 3-day power reserve. Price on request

The Ballon Bleu is the height of finesse for Parisian brand Cartier. This minimalist watch with curves in all the right places launched in 2007 and is now even more svelte than usual with a 6.90mm thick case. The 40mm rose gold case houses a manual-wind mechanical movement made by Cartier. The 430 MC calibre brings to life the hours and minutes. The dial features large gilded Roman numerals and a minute track. The integrated crown nestled in a domed arch nudges the indices deeper into the dial at 3 o’ clock. As you’d expect from the Ballon Bleu collection, the winder is topped by the famous blue ball. The time is on a lustre dial which means it has been guillochéd by hand then coated in enamel for a lightly engraved and bright anthracite surface. Price: 17,500 CHF

Just because it’s called a “diving watch” and meets the requirements of the ISO6425 standard, doesn’t mean it’s thick and heavy. The proof? The 11mm thick Calibre Diver de Cartier is not only slim and sophisticated but also has all the required assets for use in deep water: waterproof (up to 300m), readable (Super LumiNova features on the dial) and reliable (unidirectional rotating bezel and screw-down crown). Available in steel or rose gold, the 42mm case houses the 1904MC automatic movement made by Cartier which brings to life the hour, minute and small second hands at 6 o’ clock on the dial and the 3 day date display at 3 o’ clock. In keeping with the Calibre collection’s design, the Diver has a black dial whose upper half has a blue tint surrounded by Roman numerals with the famous oversize XII. Price: 25,300 CHF (red gold on rubber) and 7,400 CHF (steel on rubber)