The daring legacy of aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont soars over the Santos de Cartier 2019 collection
Santos de Ca ier is anything but square as the daring legacy of aviator Albe o Santos-Dumont soars over the 2019 collection
IN THE 1930S, Louis Cartier wrote of “a founding concept... that lends itself to countless different applications… that, if suitably handled, is destined to become a great success” ‒ that is to say a powerful idea that holds the potential for infinite variations. That idea exists in the form of the Santos de Cartier, a versatile square design that comes in a variety of materials including yellow gold, pink gold, stainless steel and the combination of gold and steel, with matching bracelet and the capacity to interchange with a multi-coloured range of calfskin and alligator straps.
Santos de Cartier was born in 1904 of the friendship between Louis Cartier and Brazilian inventor plus aviation pioneer Alberto Santos-Dumont, following the latter’s complaint about the difficulty of checking the time on his pocket watch while flying. Today, it reaches another level of height with three new models inspired by Santos-Dumont’s spirit of invention, his principles of flight as well as unwavering courage to reach for the sky and beyond. The 2019 collection is designed to add lightness, practicality, function and the intuition to light up to the ongoing evolution of Santos de Cartier.
SANTOS-DUMONT
Alberto Santos-Dumont wore protective glasses and a bespoke jacket which linked cables connected to the rudder of his plane. Comfort and ease of use dictated his very personal style without detracting from his elegant allure in the slightest. The notion of practicality was therefore decisive in the history of the Santos-Dumont watch.
In 2019, Cartier enhanced its ease of use by introducing a high-efficiency quartz movement
with an autonomy of approximately six years ‒ twice as long as traditional movements. To achieve this feat, the Cartier manufacture reworked and resized the movement to reduce its energy consumption combining this with a new high-performance battery.
Slim, understated, pared-down and fitted to an alligator leather strap, the new SantosDumont watch stays true to the elegance of the original 1904 model. Encased in gold, steel or the combination of both, it features Roman numerals, visible screws, a beaded winding crown and blue cabochon, all elements which perpetuate the heritage of this major watchmaking classic. Its square shape remains a symbol of breaking with tradition and the daring spirit of Alberto Santo-Dumont and Louis Cartier.
SANTOS DE CARTIER CHRONOGRAPH
Speed was one of Alberto Santos-Dumont’s principal challenges. He set record after record in aviation, the earliest of which dates from 1906 and concerns flying speed, covering a distance of 220 metres in 21 seconds.
Made to measure records, the new Cartier chronograph takes this heritage into the
21st century. Always attentive to elegance and ergonomics, Cartier gave it a single start/stop push button, visible at 9 o’clock, with the reset function being directly integrated into the crown. This lighter design naturally leads to lighter movements. The piece is fitted with the 1904-CH MC Cartier Manufacture movement, which distils the chronograph’s ingenious guidance and coordination systems ‒ column wheel, vertical clutch, and linear reset hammer ‒ while demonstrating superb craftsmanship.
Cartier filed the patent for the first folding buckle in 1909. This year, Cartier has developed its design further still by enhancing its comfort, ease of use and security with push-piece fastening and unfastening, a lighter blade and a simple wristband change system that offers versatility. Available in steel, alligator or rubber, the strap or bracelet can be interchanged thanks to the patented QuickSwitch system. Meanwhile, the metal bracelet can be adjusted to the nearest link thanks to its patented tool-free SmartLink size adjustment system.
“I FLY TO ESCAPE SOCIETY AND THINK.” – ALBERTO SANTOS-DUMONT
SANTOS DE CARTIER SKELETON NOCTAMBULE
Night-time created a sky for Alberto SantosDumont to conquer. He envisaged using a floodlight to light his way during his test flights. Today, Cartier conquers the dark with the new Santos de Cartier Skeleton Noctambule, featuring Roman numeral bridges and hands coated in Super-LumiNova pigments. This allows the watch to capture light and reveal the time and manufacture manual-winding movement in a mesmerising green glow at night. The stainless steel case coated in amorphous diamond-like carbon (ADLC) only adds to the whole mysterious charm of the skeleton timepiece as the name Noctambule means “night owl”. AM