The first Cartier wrist watch, arguably the first sports watch of all time, and an enduring design to this day, the Cartier Santos is one of the most significant watches that receives little recognition for its prominence. Sure, the Santos is a beloved watch design, but few fully grasp the biblical impact this piece has had on the industry as a whole.
The story of the Cartier Santos dates back to the early 1900s and a fascinating man— Alberto Santos-Dumont. Born in 1873 into a family of engineers and farmers, Alberto’s father was involved in railroad construction, instilling in Alberto a passion for travel and exploration. This naturally led to a fascination with aviation, Alberto’s greatest passion.
After moving to France, Santos-Dumont built a number of balloons, airships, and later primitive aircraft. Alberto quickly made significant breakthroughs in the history of early flight, including manning the very first publicly viewed manned flight in Europe. Santos-Dumont’s high profile, daring missions put him in company with some of the most prominent personalities of France, including Louis Cartier. Cartier and Santos-Dumont’s friendship blossomed from mutual respect for innovation, creativity, and legacy. In 1904, Louis Cartier gave Santos-Dumont a special watch, designed to be worn on the wrist— a novel concept at the time. The primitive, sturdy square watch was essentially the first true sports watch.
The so-called Cartier Santos was as daring a creation as Santos-Dumont’s missions. At a point where the wrist watch was not yet popularized, Cartier presented a bold, square wrist watch design, truly challenging the limits of buttoned up French tastes. However, by 1908, Cartier revisited the 1904 prototype made for Santos-Dumont, making the watch commercially available by 1911.
The 1911 Cartier Santos-Dumont was the birth of one of Cartier’s most iconic watch designs in history. Since 1911, Cartier has made dozens of Santos models— automatics, manually wound pieces, quartz watches, complicated references, and more.
This particular example is one of Cartier’s obscure and beautiful — mid-sized in yellow gold. What makes this piece so special is its moonphase at 6 o’clock. These are quite rare, especially in this great of condition.
Surprisingly, this watch is actually a quartz timepiece. On the one hand, it's a sports watch — a Santos. On the other hand, it’s quite dressy in yellow gold. It’s complicated with its moonphase, yet its quartz. This watch is dripping with character that any time it's on wrist will make for an enjoyable wear.
A simple stainless steel Santos is arguably the best watch in Cartier's modern catalog. But if your preferences stray from the norm, then seriously consider this yellow gold, quartz Santos with a moonphase!