{"id":44553,"date":"2023-06-18T09:00:57","date_gmt":"2023-06-18T07:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.horbiter.com\/?p=44553"},"modified":"2023-06-18T09:28:19","modified_gmt":"2023-06-18T07:28:19","slug":"the-cartier-santos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.horbiter.com\/en\/the-cartier-santos\/","title":{"rendered":"The Cartier Santos full guide with models and prices"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Cartier Santos is the first-ever men\u2019s wristwatch<\/strong>, created by Louis Cartier for the illustrious aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont, who gave his name to a watchmaking icon. Santos Dumont pioneered modern civil aviation, and his endeavors were extraordinary, considering how risky testing was back then.<\/p>\n

\"Alberto<\/p>\n

At the time, watches were not luxury accessories but tools instead<\/strong>, and Alberto Santos-Dumont was looking for an instrument allowing him to tell the time without leaving one hand from piloting, to read his pocket watch while flying. While women are credited to have worn the first-ever wristwatch in history, the Cartier Santos, with its square case and visible screws on the bezel, paved the way for a specific watch category and changed watchmaking forever.<\/p>\n

1904: the Cartier Santos was launched<\/h2>\n

At the beginning of the twentieth century, Louis Cartier supported a friend of the brand Alberto Santos-Dumont during the flight experimentation<\/strong> phase by providing him with a time-only flat and squared wristwatch paired with a leather strap on a pin buckle. What was conceived as an aviation watch soon became a milestone in watchmaking and one of the most coveted and admired wristwatches ever.<\/p>\n

\"Cartier<\/p>\n

In 1911, the Santos hit the stores and soon became popular<\/strong>. The rivets on the bezel, a nod to an aircraft\u2019s fuselage, are the distinctive traits of this somewhat odd-looking watch.<\/p>\n

1978: The Santos reappears in a luxury sports version<\/h2>\n

During the initial life cycle, the watch reappeared in a steel and gold variant in 1978, equipped with a two-tone bracelet<\/strong> whose design has become equally legendary. We are amidst the sports-luxury watch in steel trend, whose main characters were the Royal Oak and the Nautilus<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Cartier<\/p>\n

The Cartier Santos appears in a more contemporary livery<\/strong>, housing for the first time a bracelet soon to become as legendary. About ten years later, Cartier introduced the Santos de Cartier Galb\u00e9e, featuring softer case sides, much-rounded lugs, and a quartz movement.<\/p>\n

2004: The Santos 100 debuts<\/h2>\n

Marking one hundred years since its debut, the new Cartier Santos 100 appears<\/strong>, showcasing squared lines and a box-like case side. The Santos 100 comes, first and foremost, as a bold three-hander, and during its life cycle, it adopts an in-house movement, too.<\/p>\n

\"Cartier<\/p>\n

The time only is followed by an even bolder chronograph variant<\/strong> powered by a self-winding Valjoux-based calibre. Both iterations are available in steel, gold, steel and gold paired with leather straps, whose end parts close into a butterfly clasp reproducing the Double-C Cartier logo. A Skeleton model and several diamond-decorated models also add to the classic collection.<\/p>\n

2018: here comes the next-gen Cartier Santos<\/h2>\n

During SIHH 2018, Cartier brought many new models, with a new Cartier Santos collection replacing the Cartier Santos 100<\/strong>, launched in 2004. A very long cycle thus ends, and a new chapter begins.<\/p>\n

\"cartier<\/p>\n

Renewing an icon always requires effort and risk-taking. Still, Cartier had fully re-engineered the lineup by introducing many relevant innovations<\/strong>, making it more appealing and fresh than ever before, especially to those who didn\u2019t like or couldn\u2019t wear a Cartier Santos 100 XL.<\/p>\n

The available options<\/h3>\n

There are two available options for the Cartier Santos 2018<\/strong>, a \u201cMedium\u201d size, mainly geared to her or a unisex audience, and a \u201cLarge\u201d model, with the date window at six. The case was fully redesigned and comes in either 35,1 by 41,9 by 8,83 mm<\/strong> (Medium) or 39,8 by 47,5 by 9,08 mm<\/strong> (Large), respectively (width, lug-to-lug distance, thickness).<\/p>\n

\"cartier<\/p>\n

Among the most appreciated updates is the reduced thickness, resulting in a more wearable timepiece than the Santos XL, placing itself more as a classic sports watch. A 100-meter water resistance is standard and comes paired with enhanced magnetic performance<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The new bezel\u2019s design<\/h3>\n

The most prominent new design trait is the re-styled bezel<\/strong>. Please forget the screwed-in squared ring; it now extends towards the bracelet, thus fostering an integrated bracelet-like style. Most purists won\u2019t appreciate and still prefer the old design (us included). We instead approve the case\u2019s reduced thickness.<\/p>\n

\"cartier<\/p>\n

However, there is no Cartier Santos without screws, and this trait keeps identifying every iteration of the watch, the new model included.<\/p>\n

The dial comes in several options<\/strong>, all featuring the signature Roman numerals and sword-shaped hands in light-blued steel, matching the blue cabochon set into the crown. Here is the quintessential Santos dial, with the secret \u201cCartier\u201d inscription placed at seven, a lovely detail.<\/p>\n

The self-winding 1847 MC calibre<\/h3>\n

The calibre powering the watch is the self-winding 1847 MC movement<\/strong> with a \u201cpoor\u201d two days of power reserve, and it is anti-magnetic.<\/p>\n

QuickSwitch e SmartLink<\/h3>\n

The new Santos introduces self-adjustment via QuickSwitch and SmartLink<\/strong>. QuickSwitch is a quick-change mechanism allowing the owner to swap straps via a push-button. By purchasing the watch, you\u2019ll get a replacement leather strap, too. SmartLink is a clever device to add or remove links yourself.<\/p>\n

\"cartier<\/p>\n

It provides tiny buttons behind each link<\/strong>, allowing the wearer to release the metal bar and quickly release links to size the bracelet to your liking without visiting the brand\u2019s boutique.<\/p>\n

\"cartier<\/p>\n

The 2018 Cartier Santos comes in several options<\/strong>: steel, steel and 18kt gold, 18kt yellow gold, and 18kt rose gold. The offering also includes the much-loved skeletonized options powered by hand-wound calibres, a feast for your eyes.<\/p>\n

The Cartier Santos Skeleton<\/h2>\n

Among the most attractive mechanically-complicated Cartier Santos watches is the Cartier Santos Skeleton<\/strong>. Skeletonized watches are Cartier\u2019s signature, and to such an extent that the brand offers such a complication across all its core collections.<\/p>\n

Initially introduced within the Santos 100 collection, the Santos Skeleton is highly sought-after, and the Maison has, therefore, introduced a new model in 2018. What makes this watch so special is the movement\u2019s design and how it brilliantly copes with Santos\u2019 design language.<\/p>\n

\"cartier<\/p>\n

In brief, Cartier\u2019s watchmakers adopted the hand-wound calibre 9612 MC, whose skeletonized bridges mimic the Roman numerals on the dial\u2019s side and on the back<\/strong>, too. The whole package creates a stunning timepiece, which sets itself apart from the competition (along with its squared case shape, too).<\/p>\n

You can admire the ultra-classic movement\u2019s shape through the front and back glasses, with two barrels winding the watch for up to 72 hours, quite a remarkable feat.<\/p>\n

\"cartier<\/p>\n

The calibre\u2019s bridges alternate vertically brushed to mirror-polished surfaces with bevelled angles. Measuring 9,08 mm in thickness<\/strong>, the Santos Skeleton is a luxury all-rounder considering its up-to-100-meter waterproofness and fuss-free bracelet\u2019s quick change mechanism to let you customize the watch to your liking or the season.<\/p>\n