Cartier Santos-Dumont (2024)

Quick specs Cartier Santos-Dumont
Price:
approx. € 15.000 | approx. CHF 14’200 | $ 15,600 | approx. £ 12,500 (gold)
approx. € 20.400 | approx. CHF 20’000 | $ 21,900 | approx. £ 17,500 (platinum)
Size: 31.5 mm x 43.5 mm
Reference:
WGSA0096 (green / platinum)
WGSA0097 (grey / yellow gold)
WGSA0098 (blue / rose gold) – each limited to 200 pieces

The 2024 Cartier Santos-Dumont comes with three new dial colors to strengthen the Santos-Dumont collection. The dress watch is still inspired by the elegance and design inherited from a model created for Alberto Santos-Dumont, a friend of Cartier’s founder Louis Cartier. As in 1904 Louis Cartier made a watch for his friend and Brazilian aviator Santos-Dumont, and today’s models still looks like that model.

This 1904 art deco style model has a square case, a bezel with exposed screws and a very clean dial design making it easy to read while flying. Although it is not recognized as a pilot watch, in a sense it is. As it was made on request of an aviator who was looking for a reliable watch to join him on his flying adventures. To be worn on the wrist, not very usual at the time. Some even consider the Cartier Santos as the first production wristwatch, but we doubt that.

History of the naming of the Cartier Santos models

For whom it is a little confusing, just a short explanation of the naming of the Santos models. As there is also a Cartier Santos de Cartier which Cartier just calls the Santos de Cartier. It is a model line that also refers to mister Alberto Santos-Dumont, and his 1904 model. And there are more Cartier models with comparable Santos names. Most of them were new lines, that came up and disappeared. Like the Santos 100 line, for the 100^th anniversary of the model in 2004. Or the Santos Galbée – the “bowed” Santos. Or the Galbée XL, a large bowed version.

For now, it is kind of simplified (again): there is a Santos de Cartier line and the Santos-Dumont is a model within that line. And there is a model in that line named Santos de Cartier, which is the name of the line as well. Anyway, the Santos-Dumont is the classic, elegant and slim dress watch only available on a leather strap. And there is the more sporty, bolder, yet also elegant Santos de Cartier. That model can come on a bracelet, or a leather strap, with other dial designs and with more complications like a chronograph. Both models stay close to the original design, however the Santos-Dumont stays closest.

Three new Santos-Dumont variants

The 2024 Cartier Santos-Dumont comes in three variants. The first one is from platinum with an all-green shade. The bezel is coated with olive green lacquer, the dial has a satin-finish green color with a sunray-brushed pattern. The hands have a rhodium-finish. And the alligator leather strap is also green. The crown is set with a ruby stone.

The second one is from yellow gold with a bezel coated with a taupe grey lacquer. The dial is grey, the alligator leather strap as well. Here the crown is set with a blue sapphire and the hands have a yellow gold-finish. And lastly, there is a rose gold version with a peacock blue lacquer, from its case, bezel and dial down to its strap. The crown is set with a blue sapphire, the hands have a rose gold-finish.

The 2024 Cartier Santos-Dumont has a power reserve of 36 hours

Inside is the hand-wound Cartier caliber 430 MC displaying the hours and minutes. Basically, it is a Cartier branded Piaget caliber 430P, a very slim (2.1 millimeters) movement that can be found in a few other Cartier models as well. The power reserve is 36 hours. The case back is engraved with the signature of Alberto Santos-Dumont.

So, each of the Cartier Santos-Dumont timepieces come on an alligator leather strap matching the color of the dial. And each strap is secured with an ardillon buckle in the same material as the case: platinum, yellow gold or rose gold. And all three are limited to just 200 pieces.