February can be a bit of a headache. Twenty-eight days, twenty-nine if it feels like it, and a different number of days for just about every other month. Fortunately, this Cartier comes with the solution. The Pasha Perpetual Calendar ref. 0975 keeps track of it all, and throws in a moonphase for good measure.

Dating from around 2000, this example is executed in 18k yellow gold and measures 38mm across. The round case, stepped bezel and Vendôme-style lugs give it the recognizable Pasha look, while the crown is hidden beneath a screw-down protective cap set with a blue sapphire cabochon and attached by a small security chain. It is one of those Cartier details that could easily have been left out, but would have made the watch considerably less interesting.

The silver dial has plenty going on, although Cartier manages to keep everything legible. Starting with the breathtaking guilloché pattern, engraved in the middle part of the dial. This work of art is surrounded by a circular satin-finished ring, reflecting light beautifully. Painted minute track with applied double baton markers frame the outer edge, while the subsidiary dials display the day, date, month and leap-year indication. At 12 o’clock, an oval blue aperture displays the moonphase, providing a beautiful splash of contrast against the silver surface. The blued-steel hands add another touch of contrast. It is a busy dial by Cartier standards, but every indication has a job to do, and the result feels more like an instrument than a piece of jewellery.

Seen through a charming open case back, beats the automatic Cartier calibre 039, bringing the calendar and moonphase functions together in one mechanical movement. This incredibly complicated mechanism is based on the, relatively thin, Jaeger LeCoultre 889/1 caliber.

The watch is in excellent condition, with the Pasha’s unusual case design still looking as it should. The engravings around the exhibition caseback remain clearly legible, a nice detail that has stood the test of time. It comes on a brown Cartier leather strap in a warm cognac shade, paired with a yellow gold Cartier deployant clasp.

A golden Pasha that knows exactly what day it is, even when the rest of us have already lost track. It is ready to be enjoyed for years to come, without adjusting the date.