The iconic Santos collection from Cartier has been around for over 100 years, and is a huge part of the history of not only the iconic French watch maker but also a huge part of the history of the entire watch making industry.
The Cartier Santos was One of the Original Wristwatches
The first Cartier Santos was designed by Louis Cartier for his friend, aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont in 1904. Santos-Dumont wanted to be able to check the time safely whilst flying, which was impossible to do with a standard pocket watch. His friend Cartier provided him with one of the first wristwatches, which made it possible for him to check the time with little interruption to the operation of his plane. In 1906, after completing a flight around the Eiffel Tower, Santos-Dumont checked the time on his wristwatch, which was seen by hundreds of Parisians, creating a huge demand for similar watches.
The original Cartier Santos was one of the first timepieces designed specifically to be worn on the wrist, this led to several significant design obstacles that needed to be figured out. At the forefront of these was the fact that the strap had become integral to the overall watch, meaning that the lugs needed to be incorporated. This meant there was no longer a break between case and attachments, the rounded corners of the case blended and worked with the lugs of the watch to form a single piece, ready for a strap to be attached.
After initially being reserved as a one off for his friend, Santos-Dumont, after a few years Cartier added to the collection, and it has blossomed since then, becoming a staple of the Cartier range. With over 30 watches in the collection, the Santos collection is still at the forefront of Cartier’s minds, even after more than a century of existence.