Cartier Revisits the Santos With Two New Sport-Driven Expressions
Cartier has been increasingly on people’s minds and wrists recently. All this is thanks to the maison paying more attention to reigniting interest in the more classic historic lines among new customers.
In the recent past, the French luxuryLuxuryA lifestyle defined by exceptional quality, craftsmanship, exclusivity, and sophistication, encompassing the finest products, services, and experiences that represent the highest standards of refinement and excellence.Go to Luxury Glossary conglomerate was too focused on high complications. But one of the nice things about Cartier is that there’s so much beauty in its classic and traditional lines, timeless timepieces, no matter what complication or even price point.
Just launched are two new models making one of Cartier’s older families more exciting: the Santos de Cartier line.
Named after the Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont, Santos de Cartier is one of Cartier’s oldest collections introduced in 1904. The pilot asked his friend, Louis Cartier, to help him figure out how to tell time while flying, and thus, this watch was born. The watch with its rounded dial angles, seamless curved horns, and exposed screws was forward-thinking for its time, becoming, for many, the epitome of the elegant sports or sporty wristwatch.
The two new Santos de Cartiers are both part of the large model (LM) line. Keeping in mind that these are rectangular and shaped-case watches, they fit differently on the wrist. So, you really need to try them on to see if they are a fit for you.
The first one is the Santos de Cartier LM in titanium, a material used previously for cases and bezels, but not usually for the entire watch. The titanium lends the watch a very distinct matte finish, with hints of a shine on edges and on the iconic screws on the bezel—a deviation from Santos de Cartier’s customary glossy sheen. Its dial is silvered opaline, with blacknumerals, blue steel sword-shaped hands, and a small date window at 6:00.
The titanium watch looks completely at home yet slightly off-kilter because of the matte blasted finish. Its crown is set with a black faceted spinel, which fits with the whole subdued monochromatic look of the watch. The watch is surprisingly light on the wrist, too, compared to the usual Santos de Cartier watches.
“The combination of heritage, elegance, and cleanness of design are very much a draw.”
The other newly released Santos de Cartier LM in luminous steel trades the usual silvery white dial for a black one that’s usually reserved for coated watches. Its face, textured with vertical brushing in the center and a discreet sunray brush on the sides, is accompanied by the classic Cartier Roman numerals in white and black steel sword-shaped hands both coated with luminescent Super-LumiNova for nighttime visibility. The Santos de Cartier LM in steel is one of the more accessible entry points to appreciating Cartier’s classic lines.
These new watches share the same dimensions: 39.8 millimeters wide, 47 millimeters lug to lug, and 9.4 millimeters thick, making it still very familiar. Both watches use the mechanical automatic calibre 1847 MC movement, and are both water-resistant up to 100 meters.
What these two new watches are doing is bringing a more sport-oriented option to the already sporty Santos de Cartier line. The steel watch is the more traditional of the two, but brings the more “active” watch effect because of the luminous indices and hands.
Meanwhile, the titanium watch is a fun new choice that subverts expectations of the Santos de Cartier line, with none of that shininess, save for the screws to provide a nice contrast.
Cartier is indeed enjoying a lot of attention nowadays particularly from younger buyers. The combination of heritage, elegance, and cleanness of design are very much a draw. The titanium model in particular is a nice new addition that speaks to people looking for a subtler model to put on their wrists.