flying high
Three new and exciting timepieces elevate the Santos de Cartier collection to new heights
M ore than a century after its groundbreaking debut, the first ever modern wristwatch continues to amaze. More importantly, the Santos de Cartier watches continue to uphold and build up on the three major principles behind it: simplicity, practicality and innovation.
These three values were also the ones held by Alberto Santos-Dumont. Legendary airman, aviation pioneer with 22 flying machines to his credit and a storied test pilot who put his life on the line countless times to further our mastery of flight, he was also the one to request the aforementioned first modern wristwatch from Louis Cartier back in 1904.
Since then, the Santos de Cartier watches have perpetuated “the spirit, style and thirst for altitude held by men who change the world, just like Alberto Santos-Dumont.” The pure design of these watches and their iconic shape—square with visible screws—remain a hallmark of haute horlogerie as we know it.
Today, the seminal design language of Santos de Cartier appears through three new and exciting novelties for the discerning gentleman looking to make their own mark in the world.
The New Santos-Dumont
A homage to the historical model that started it all, the newest Santos-Dumont watch is an exercise in simplicity and elegance. The classic square shape of the watch remain unchanged, as a nod to the most popular geometry in Paris which also mirrors the four sharp corners of the Eiffel Tower. It was quite a daring design back in the early 1900s, when pocket watches were traditionally housed in round cases.
This iteration of the Santos-Dumont watch comes in three case options: gold, all steel or a
combination of the two metals. Visible screws are also back, along with a beaded winding crown and blue cabochon. On the dial, crisp Roman numerals allow for clear legibility. After all, practicality and ease of reading were what Alberto SantosDumont was looking for.
The former—that is, the notion of practicality—is also present in a major way inside the case. For this 2019 model, Cartier has introduced a high-efficiency quartz movement with an autonomy of about six years.
Whether you’re aiming to look sharp in a dinner jacket or out on a long journey abroad, this is the watch you’d want to accompany you.
Santos de Cartier Chronograph
Back in 1906, Alberto Santos-Dumont set one of his flight speed records. This would be the first of many. Of course, in the world of fine watches, our collective passion for speed and to measure our progress in becoming ever faster is expressed through chronographs. And now, this complication makes its mark in the Santos de Cartier collection.
The new Santos de Cartier Chronograph puts major emphasis on ergonomics. To that end, a single start/stop button is placed at the 9 o’clock position while the reset function is integrated into the crown. Powering the watch and the chronograph is the 1904-CH MC Cartier Manufacture movement, a superb exemplar of Cartier’s craftsmanship and ingenuity.
Also intriguing is the new watch’s bracelets and straps. Several options are available, including steel, alligator leather and rubber. Switching between straps is made easy thanks to the patented QuickSwitch system, which is as subtle as it is practical, being designed to seamlessly blend into the architecture of the case. The tool-free SmartLink size adjustment system, meanwhile, allows the metal bracelet option to be easily tailored to the wearer’s wrist.
Santos de Cartier Skeleton Noctambule
Last but most definitely not least, there is the Santos de Cartier Skeleton Noctambule. As the name implies, this watch is the successor of last year’s Santos de Cartier Skeleton. If anything, the skeletonized construction serves only to further accentuate the unmistakable design language of Santos de Cartier, from the iconic square shape to the exposed screws.
The most illuminating aspect (and the pun here is most definitely intended) of the watch is, without doubt, the Super-LumiNova coating on the Skeleton Noctambule’s bridges. So, when night falls—or whenever ambient lighting drops—the watch comes to live with an eerily beautiful green glow. Not that this should come as a surprise: Night has always been a major challenge for early aviators to conquer, and the Santos de Cartier Skeleton Noctambule relives Alberto Santos-Dumont’s story of braving the night sky guided by light.
“Today, the seminal design language of Santos de Cartier appears through three new and exciting novelties for the discerning gentleman looking to make their own mark in the world”