The Origin of the Santos de Cartier

The Cartier Santos caught my eye a while ago, before I knew anything about it. But the more I learned, the more I liked it. There’s much more to it than meets the eye.

For instance, did you know that it’s a pilot’s watch? And not just any pilot, but Alberto Santos=Dumont. He was a contemporary of the Wright Brothers, and there’s apparently argument about who actually flew the first heavier-than-air machine. Alberto Santos=Dumont was the first flight in Europe, and first certified by Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.

Santos=Dumont was the heir of a wealthy Brazillian family who made their money in coffee. He had always been interested in the skies, and dedicated most of his life to flight. Although born and raised in Brazil, his family traveled to France in search of medical treatment for the father. Santos=Dumont quickly returned to France where he remained for years. With his many flying inventions, he became a celebrity.

As an experienced pilot, one of his complaints was the difficulty in telling time. In the Early 1900s, it was not customary for a man to wear a wristwatch. Santos=Dumont lamented how difficult it was to maintain control of the aircraft, while fumbling in his pocket for his watch. Luckily, Santos=Dumont was friends with the right guy, Louis Cartier. Louis Cartier developed a watch on a strap, to be attached to the wrist for easy viewing. Genius!

Not only was it the first pilot’s watch, it was Cartier’s first wristwatch for men, and one of the first wristwatches for men in general. The watch has a unique look, and has been an icon almost ever since. The original watch was fitted with a Jeager movement, but today features Cartier’s own in-house movement. It now comes in a variety of sizes, metals, faces and straps.

I don’t own one, yet. But when I do, I’ll be picking up a medium sized, two-tone with no date. Like this: