Event – Cars & Watches with Breguet and Glashütte Original At London City Concours 2018
Well-heeled motoring enthusiasts made what is fast becoming an annual pilgrimage to Central London last week to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of the second annual City Concours. Bringing together some of the world’s finest cars in the intimate setting of the gardens of the Honourable Artillery Company, along with a host of partner brands and excellent hospitality, it definitely made for a fun couple of days in the sun. And with Breguet and Glashütte Original also back as official timepiece sponsors, we knew we couldn’t resist a quick visit.
Watches belonging to Melvin (Mel) Blanc, the American voice actor famous for bringing to life nearly 400 characters in the Looney Tunes and Hanna-Barbera cartoons, went under the hammer at Christie’s New York in their “An evening of exceptional watches” auction. Mel Blanc brought delight to generations of children and adults alike as the voice of classic childhood favourites such as Bugs Bunny, Sylvester the Cat, Daffy Duck, Yosemite Sam, Foghorn Leghorn and Barney Rubble, among many, many others. Less well known, but no less delightful, was Mel’s collection of more than 500 watches and clocks, which he proudly displayed in his Californian home up until his death in 1989. Sold at the auction were his rare 1982 Patek Philippe 18K Gold perpetual calendar chronograph with moonphase (Ref 2499/100), which went for US$552,500, as well as a 1940s Zenith 18K pink-gold chronograph, once owned by Mario Lanza, Blanc’s neighbour and family friend, which achieved US$20,000. While Blanc was a keen watch enthusiast, it was his wife Estelle who first noticed his fascination with watches, and in 1946 bought Mel a birthday gift — his first Patek Philippe, a minute repeating pocket watch, for $375. Shocked by how much his wife had spent…
Last week we had a look at the ‘regular’ version of Cartier’s updated Santos, and today the less-is-more Skeleton is under our lens. To be specific, we’re talking about the large steel model (though there’s a pink gold version as well), which comes on the QuickSwitch and SmartLink equipped steel bracelet, replete with those prominent screws — you also get an additional alligator strap, allowing you to change your look should the fancy take you. So far, so standard for the new Santos. But what’s special here is the dial, or lack thereof, as you would expect. The manually wound 9611MC movement has been designed from the ground up as a skeleton movement, a process that means the architecture has been designed for maximum visual impact — the bridges have taken the form of Cartier’s iconic exploding Roman numerals; a pleasing blend of negative space and mechanics. And while the stripped-back style of the skeletonised Santos might not be to all tastes, it’s an important skill in Cartier’s history, and there’s no faulting the execution here. 
