Three months ago today I suffered an oblique mid-shaft humeral fracture of my right arm. A Cartier Carrée James Bond watch was on my left wrist; it’s still there as I make this Post.
January 13, 2025, was actually the first day I put it on.
By way of perspective, that was on the heals of having worn my Rolex Day-Date for little over a week. Obvious case size and weight difference. But, curiously, the experience of transitioning to this Reference 2961 was negligable. It felt no different than any of my preferred timekeepers within days.
I tend to think of this Cartier as an all-rounder wristwatch perhaps better suited than many other James Bond issues for “winter” wear. The coldest time of year here in Michigan was just beginning to unfold when I put it into service. It worked well under long-sleeve shirts, sweaters, and never resisted whenever I needed to put on or take off a coat or cover-alls.
The watch was not believed to have been serviced when I acquired it in 2018. I have never had it serviced. Seven years ago, it averaged a 7.17 second per day gain over eight days on-wrist.
This round, I ran two tests — having had to reset the time approximately two months in due to the spring change. Round 1, it gained 3.78 seconds per day for the first week, and 3.66 seconds per day averaged across fifty-five days (off-wrist only once, for about ten hours, during my open reduction and internal fixaction surgery). Round 2, it showed an average 0.17 second per day loss.
Initially, I had anticipated wearing this Carrée through Valentine’s Day.
That would mean situations that went from rougher treatment in single-digit temperatures and lake-effect winds, to more formal evenings out. That would be my personal approximation of James Bond watch challenges faced in The Living Daylights, opera houses to cello-case sledding. Instead, it was my 24/7 up ’til now.
So, add Good Friday and Resurection Sunday, and now temperatures consistently into the upper 60s. Forget its age, size, and combination of gold and stainless steel. This remains an completely appropriate wristwatch for 2025; at times, it’s still envied by others.
Since this piece has seen service for a hundred-plus consecutive days that included injury and recovery, I’ll comment a bit on that viz performance.
First, my sleep-awake cycle was far from regular for the first two months. The Cartier Carrée has no lume whatsoever, with blued hands against a white dial. None of that bothered me in terms of relying upon it as a reference, wherever I was, whatever time of day. Second, my adaptation of becoming effectively left- instead of right-hand dominant subjected the watch to that increased stress, with additional impact due to more reactive moves and outright clumsiness.
I’ll also note that my physical therapy routine was not the same as working out with a personal trainer at the gym. It means having subjected this watch to often sudden and forceful handling by others — while I was wearing it.
Two days ago, I noticed bracelet separation running halfway across the C-channel where two links connected. It’s not the first time that I’ve seen this, at other points. And it reminded me of why this forty-year-old wristwatch is not in my regular daily wear rotation.
Following the appearance of Reference 2961 in The Living Daylights (1987), Timothy Dalton wore a Sub Date throughout Licence to Kill (1989). Having gotten so used to the Cartier, I was curious how I would feel about making a similar transition today.
Check back later and I’ll let you know.
— Dell Deaton