2024 is a Santos year for Cartier. This versatile and iconic timepiece takes centre stage, showcasing numerous new versions. The agenda includes a sporty and contemporary Santos, available in steel or two-tone gold and steel, featuring an automatic movement and interchangeable bands – either a steel bracelet or leather strap. Two particularly handsome versions of this ideal everyday watch, with a slate grey or brown dial, stand out.
Cartier has also unveiled a Santos Dual-Time dedicated to chic globetrotters. The complication is highly legible, with the second time zone displayed at 6 o’clock on an auxiliary counter. This allows the fortunate wearer to tell at a glance what time it is, both home and away. The auxiliary counter also features a date window, making it the perfect companion piece for the intrepid explorer.
Next up are the Santos-Dumont models, neo-vintage reinterpretations of the original Santos. Two limited editions of only 200 pieces each, crafted in platinum, are available worldwide. The first, a true classic, features a lacquered bezel matching the colour of the dial, available in olive green, taupe grey or peacock blue.
The second represents a complete departure from convention. It’s as if Alberto Santos-Dumont himself had flown it over the Bermuda Triangle. Its hands turn anticlockwise, and the order of its Roman numerals is reversed, giving the impression that time is running backwards. The aptly named Santos-Dumont Rewind is powered by the 230MC hand-wound calibre that operates in reverse rotation. The distinctive dance of the apple-shaped hands takes place on a sophisticated stage featuring a carnelian dial whose subtle shades harmonise perfectly with the leather strap. This Santos is both original and stylish, making it the undisputed Santos masterpiece of Watches and Wonders 2024. Alberto Santos-Dumont had a fertile imagination; he dreamed of a wristwatch that would allow him more freedom of movement. His friend Louis Cartier created it in 1904. Today, Cartier is shaking things up by reversing the course of time, which is why the back of the watch is engraved with Alberto Santos-Dumont’s signature… written backwards.
