Among the flurry of new models presented by Cartier at the SIHH 2014 across all (upper) levels of the watch and jewellery pyramid, one is very much off the beaten track, since the brand with its iconic panther motif had never yet ventured along this particular path. For its very first diver’s watch, Cartier has successfully combined the aesthetic codes of the Calibre collection with the stringent international norms governing the certification of this category of timepieces. From a stylistic standpoint, the result is certainly convincing, since the Diver becomes the most accomplished model of the youthful Calibre line, equipped with the Manufacture 1904MC movement – one of the 33 developed by Cartier since 2008. Technically speaking, in addition to meeting the ISO 6425 criteria for diver’s watches, the Calibre Diver boasts certain innovations drawn from the Concept Watch ID One, such as the ADLC coating on the unidirectional bezel, self-lubricated by this high-tech process applied atom by atom. This model also brings a pleasant auditory surprise in that the mechanical ‘tune’ of its 120 notches shifting when the bezel is rotated lends an extra playful touch to its use. Together with the sturdiness and readability that are inherently bound up with its vocation, the quality of the design of the first Cartier Diver watch might well deprive divers of their monopoly on acquiring this model.