The CPCP Cartier Tortue Monopoussoir is getting a little extra attention recently as the new Tortue Monopoussior came out in 2024. Thankfully, I am not here to write about the new one, we got plenty of paid watch magazines/bloggers for it, so I want to focus more on the 2 Tortue Monopoussior in white gold and yellow gold, ref.2396 and ref.2356 that were released in 1999. This distinctive Tortue shaped monopusher chronograph built around the remarkable THA-developed calibre 045MC. I somehow got super lucky to obtain both white gold and yellow gold pieces, which I have had the pleasure to experience, take pictures, compare and contrast.
Firstly, the case design. This distinctive case design, called the Tortue (turtle) case is unique and due to the case size and short lugs, it fits wonderfully on the wrist. People close to me will know how much I love Tortue shape, but without being biased, this really fits wonderfully on the wrist. The size comparison has to be the Patek ref.5040, which I also had the pleasure of owning, and realised both fit very similarly on the wrist. Measuring in at approximately 35 mm wide and 43 mm lug to lug, the watch wears easily on any wrist sizes while having that vintage proportions. Although both the yellow gold and white gold have the exact same proportions, the metal color and dial design transforms the personality of the watch completely.
The white-gold version sits discreetly, white the blue accent color on the dial gives that subtle spark that it needs. Its reserved presence allows the complex dial work to shine without ostentation. On the other hand, the yellow-gold version evokes a stronger connection to Cartier’s early 20th-century aesthetic traditions, with its more ‘conventional’ dial design with its roman numerals, partnered with its guilloche pattern on the dial. If you ask me personally, I will have to go with the white gold. The rather unconventional dial design with a single large Roman numeral, XII, interrupts the guilloché, while the remaining hour markers are dotted indices paired with blue accent color, it just does it for me. At the end the preference is more on the dial, rather than the color of the case material.
Although the cases and dials speak different languages, the movement unites both watches in a shared mechanical soul, powered by the calibre 045MC, developed by THA Ébauche, the movement workshop co-founded by François-Paul Journe, Vianney Halter, and Denis Flageollet. This manual wound single-button chronograph comes with hand-applied finishing expected in CPCP pieces: Geneva stripes, polished bevels, blued screws, and an attractively laid-out series of bridges visible through the sapphire caseback. Personally speaking, I do wish they kept the movement decoration more traditional rather than this Cartier logo pattern everywhere. As much as they are my watches, I have to be honest; Cartier logo on the movement, no no. However, do not take that away with the fact that this is a beautiful and very historic movement, made by 3 giants of independent watchmakers of the 21st century.
The recent 2024 re-issue of the Tortue Monopoussoir tried their best to mimic this CPCP aesthetics, going back to smaller proportions, but the dial design does not do it for me personally. Another backward thinking strategy by the brand, executed worse than before (dare I say).
Ultimately, the choice between the yellow-gold and white-gold is not a matter of technicality or rarity (maybe white gold is rarer. But still) it more comes down to different aesthetical design. The white-gold version feels discreet, balanced, and quietly intellectual—a watch for someone who values design purity and subtlety. The yellow-gold version speaks with a richer, more romantic voice, celebrating Cartier’s early chronograph aesthetic with exuberance and charm. Both share the same superb movement, the same elegant case architecture, and the same historical significance. What differs is the mood they project: one modern and understated, the other vintage-inspired and expressive. Either way, you cannot go wrong with either of them.
