July 20, 2023

The Cartier Santos Proves That Watches Can Last Forever

1916-Louis-Cartier-Store-und-Modell-Santos-1916-768x570-fotor-2023071718575

Standing the test of time, the timeless Cartier Santos was the first men’s wrist watch ever created. Invented by Cartier himself for his dear friend Alberto Santos-Dumont to be used as his personal pilots watch, the industrially designed Santos defined the signature Cartier dial design.

Introduction

The world’s first men’s wristwatch.

Created by Louis Cartier for his adventurous friend Santos-Dumont, made by adapting a square pocketwatch mechanism into a wearable timepiece.

The world’s first men’s pilot’s watch.

Worn by Alberto Santos-Dumont on the world’s first recorded flight amidst his well documented tests and adventures in air balloons, blimps, and eventually airplanes.

Invented in 1904, the Santos has remained one of the world’s most popular watches for over 120 years. The Santos has proved that a watch can last forever.

Alberto Santos-Dumont, sitting in ‘Demoiselle’, his famed aircraft.

Timeline

1904

Alberto Santos-Dumont asks Cartier to invent a “wrist pocketwatch” for him to use while flying around Paris.

1906

Santos-Dumont flew his plane for 21.5 seconds – he was the first person to ever be filmed while flying, all while wearing his Cartier Santos, aptly named after him.

1911

The Santos Dumont enters full production in yellow gold and platinum cases, utilizing the first ever deployant clasp. The design elements established here set precedent for all Cartier pieces moving forward.

1987

Cartier introduces the iconic Santos Galbée and continued introducing references for decades. The more curved and ergonomic case shape was hugely popular amongst their catalog.

2016

Cartier quietly discontinues the Santos Galbee, the prolific model that had been in production for decades.

2018

Cartier relaunches the Santos after a two-year discontinuation, with a more polished aesthetic and integrated design, ushering in the modern era of the Santos family of watches.

2019

Cartier relaunches the Santos-Dumont with a dressy look faithful to the mid-century references, rounding out the collection and creating opportunities for new styles and limited edition pieces.

Modern References

Santos de Cartier

The “standard” Santos de Cartier comes in stainless steel, full rose gold, full yellow gold, and multiple two tone configurations. There are also green and blue dial variations that have been introduced more recently. These timepieces are medium (35.1 mm x 35.1 mm) and large (39.8 mm x 39.8 mm) sizes and are powered by automatic in-house calibres. Cartier also has multiple ADLC and PVD models with unique designs, colors, and finishing.

Santos de Cartier – Chronographs & Skeletons

Cartier opts to show off their watchmaking on the Santos through the development of multiple chronograph and skeleton references. Available in large (39.8 mm x 39.8 mm) and extra-large (43.8 mm x 43.8 mm) references, these pieces offer a much stronger wrist presence.

Santos-Dumont

As a dressier alternative, Cartier offers the Santos-Dumont, a more faithful tribute to the original watch designed by Cartier in 1904 for Alberto Santos-Dumont. These watches are equipped with sunburst dial and Cartier blue hands with a more classy and subtle case than the Santos de Cartier. Depending on the reference, these pieces are available in quartz small (38 mm x 27.5 mm), quartz large (43.5 mm x 31.4 mm) and hand-wound extra-large (46.6 mm x 33.9 mm) models.

Iconic References

Santos Ref. 1575-1

Released in 1994, Cartier released this 90th anniversary Santos heavily inspired by the original – complete with blue Breguet hands, a beautiful salmon dial, and a platinum case. Inside is an ultra-thin Frédéric Piguet 021MC calibre, which held the record for thinnest watch movement on the market for 21 years, with a strong 42-hour power reserve. All in all, the Ref. 1575 is one of the most iconic neo-vintage references in all of watchmaking.

Santos Galbee “1913” Ref. 2697F

The Cartier Santos Galbee “1913” was a Limited Edition rerelease of the first Santos model available on the market in the year 1913. The watch was released in 2004 to commemorate 100 years since Cartier designed the original Santos watch in 1904. The timepiece features a uniquely-shaped and beveled 24 mm x 34.5 mm yellow gold case, and blue Breguet-style hands – a similar design to a 1998 limited edition timepiece released by the Collection Privée Cartier Paris.

Santos Galbee

The Santos Galbee model line was introduced to the Cartier catalog in 1987 and updated frequently until 2005, before being quietly discontinued in 2016. The Galbee expanded on the Santos’ roots in industrial design blended with the DNA of dress watches. Adding sport functionality, including water resistance and a more robust case, made the Santos Galbee an industrial integrated steel sports watch, a Cartier alternative to the iconic Royal Oak and Nautilus models that were rapidly gaining popularity. Over the course of nearly 20 years, Cartier created several limited edition Galbee models and a variety of different sizes, metal constructions, and dial configurations.

Santos 100

Released in 2004 to celebrate 100 years since the creation of the original Santos, the Santos 100 collection was a significant step from Cartier towards the modern iteration of the Santos. With most references being much larger and thicker than past models, the timepiece was sized up to match the 21st century trend of oversized watches. Furthermore, the Santos 100 saw the introduction of large crown guards and a move away from classic elements such as Breguet hands. The collection was highly popular, leading Cartier to introduce multiple in-house calibres to the Santos catalog – this set precedent for the Santos line moving forward.

Santos-Dumont Skeleton Micro-Rotor

A 2023 tribute to Alberto Santos-Dumont, the new skeletonized Santos-Dumont with micro-rotor is the epitome of a conversation starter. The super busy skeletonized movement juxtaposes the inherit dressiness of the Santos-Dumont case, leather strap, blued hands, and signature Cartier cabochon. The bottom-right quadrant of the watch displays a miniaturized a micro-rotor disguised as an airplane – specifically, the Demoiselle, a 1907 invention of Santos-Dumont himself. Completely unique amongst Cartier’s collection, this new reference is obviously extremely cool but also more versatile than expected.

Wearing Guide

For An Understated Look: The Santos de Cartier in Stainless Steel

The classic stainless-steel Santos de Cartier is perfect for the everyday understated look. We recommend the timeless white dial, but blue, green, and black dials are also great choices. The white, blue, and green dials could be paired with a variety of different outfits, from the casual t-shirt and jeans to the black-tie formal, while the black dial is decidedly sportier. The highly polished bezels show their wear in a beautiful patina that often elevates the rugged elegance and industrial/dressy look.

To Be Effortlessly Elegant: The Modern Santos-Dumont

The modern Santos Dumont with its timeless case and dial design paired with leather strap is a combination that can be worn in professional environments but easily dressed down for casual wear. Precious metal options such as gold, rose gold, and two-tone varities are well-executed, elevating the dressiness of the watch without being unnecessarily flashy. Watch lovers will recognize the Santos-Dumont, but the model wouldn’t otherwise draw unsolicited attention from the average person.

If You Want To Be Flashy: Cartier Santos Skeleton

The Cartier Santos Skeleton is an inarguably strong execution for a skeletonized concept, as to be expected of Cartier, but the timepiece is nothing if not loud and flashy. Being one of the least versatile watches in Cartier’s entire catalog, the watch is neither dressy nor classic in any sense – but it isn’t meant to be. More wearable than a Richard Millie and less trashy than similar skeleton watches, the inklings of Cartier DNA in this watch are enough to make it a hit. You’ll often see celebrities and rappers sport iced-out Santos skeletons everywhere, popularizing the style enough to the point that it’s nearly acceptable to wear anywhere in 2023.

For Ladies

While most ladies won’t be able to wear many of the Santos references such as the skeletons, chronographs, and hand-wound Santos-Dumonts, there are plenty of pieces that wear well on smaller wrists.

The Santos-Dumont quartz references in the small size are great choices for any regardless of gender and are available in stainless steel, rose gold, two-tone, and the more feminine rose gold with diamond bezel reference.

For Sharing

Perhaps one of the most underrated aspects of the Cartier Santos is how unisex and shareable it is. Not only is this the case for the small and medium Santos-Dumont models, but also the Santos de Cartier on the bracelet.

The stainless steel, rose gold, yellow gold, and two-tone Santos de Cartier models are equipped with a proprietary bracelet technology that allows rapid readjustment. In an almost unique position in the watch market, the Santos’s easily resizable bracelet is ideal for sharing.