Like any mechanism, a watch movement only uses a small percentage of its energy productively. Friction, air resistance and all kinds of losses take a considerable toll on the available power. Thus inside the watch case, 75% of the energy supplied by the spring is wasted ! Following on from Cartier ID One, Cartier decided to design Cartier ID Two, a second concept watch this time aimed at improving the efficiency of a watch movement.

30% more energy stored + 2 times less energy consumed

= 32 days of power reserve

The objective consisted of increasing stored energy by nearly a third and reducing energy consumption by half for a constant volume. Once again, the Maison’s watchmakers started with a blank sheet and came up with some never-before imagined solutions: new materials, novel manufacturing techniques and totally innovative design choices.

Today this second Cartier concept-watch opens up new technological prospects which open the way to miniaturization, to previously inaccessible functions and a performance level never attained till now. Carter ID Two already beats out tomorrow’s time...

The case in Ceramysttm reveals the revolutionary mechanism of the Cartier ID Two.

This innovative new-generation material is the first transparent polycrystalline ceramic offering designers complete freedom of creation. The case in Ceramyst TM offers a fine view of each of the movement’s components coated in matte black with another cutting-edge material : ADLC.


1. Vacuum case

To shield the oscillator from air resistance as it beats, the interior of the single-block case/glass in CeramystTM transparent ceramic is a vacuum. Airtightness is reinforced by using gaskets doped with nano particles.

2. Barrels with double fiberglass springs

For the first time in watchmaking history, the springs providing energy to the watch movement have been made not in metal, but in glass microfiber, giving a considerable increase in power.

3. DRIE technology
DRIE technology (Deep Reactive Ion Etching) allows micromechanical components to be made with extreme precision (to the nearest micron) and lends itself particularly well to carbon crystal.

4. Differential gearing

The differential gear train with ultra-light components works without lubrication, minimizes friction and offers an optimized reduction ratio.

5. ID Escapement
Cartier ID Two reuses the solution explored in Cartier ID One: components made using DRIE technologies, oscillator and escapement bearing in carbon crystal, and pivot axes in black ADLC- coated titanium.
6. ADLC coating

A mix of carbon and hydrogen, the ADLC coating (Amorphous Diamond Like Carbon) covers the components with a fine black protective layer unaffected by wear, self-lubricating, and highly shock-resistant. A technique used in aerospace and armament.

+30%	energy stored, using a barrel with double spring in fiberglass
-48%	shorter gaskets
5 years	of research and development
135	engineers, technicians and watchmakers working in the Cartier Ideas Laboratory
32 days	of power reserve in the same volume
500	times less air inside the case as outside
197	components
1 micron	(1/1 000th of a millimeter) manufacturing tolerance for some pieces of the movement
50	professions
99,8%	vacuum inside the case
42 mm	diameter
6	patent applications
-37%	energy consumption for the oscillator in vacuum
2	times less energy consumed

To reduce air resistance, the automobile world’s answer is to design sleek, aerodynamic cars. To get the same result in the world of watchmaking, Cartier decided to get rid of the air inside the case of its concept watch Cartier ID Two!

Inside a watch case a mind-boggling 75% of the energy is wasted through various friction and from air resistance. The case may be airtight but inside it each moving part, however small, undergoes aerodynamic pressure which dampens its movement. After examining the technical possibilities for improving the air penetration coefficients, the team at the Manufacture’s research and development laboratory had a brainwave: “What if, instead of trying to mitigate the consequences of aerodynamic pressure, we removed the cause ?” In other words : getting rid of the air ! Despite its apparent extreme simplicity, this revolutionary solution brought with it some equally extreme technical difficulties. To avoid the risk of leaks, the engineers had to design a case in just two parts, without any screws whatsoever. The seals between the case block and the back as well as those surrounding the setting crown have been made more airtight by the addition of nano particles.

At the heart of Cartier ID Two, the movement beats freely inside a ceramic case whose perfect transparency reflects the absolute vacuum it houses. And in the absence of all aerodynamic resistance, it can develop considerably more energy than traditional watches.