Cartier Santos-Dumont

The Santos’ collection was inspired by Louise Cartier’s friend, Alberto Santos-Dumont a Brazilian aviator who wanted more than a pocket watch to assist him while flying and so Louise Cartier invented a flat wristwatch with a square bezel. The case was seemingly inspired by a square pocket watch Cartier had produced, but the highly legible dial design telegraphs a shift to Art Deco style that would define the 1920s and 1930s and continues to define Cartier’s design aesthetic to this day. Today, Cartier is renewing its tribute to the dandy that was Santos-Dumont, and to the style he embodied, through the Santos-Dumont XL watch. The Santos-Dumont XL watch reveals a completely reworked design and proportions. Its history, the purity of its lines and the beauty of its mechanical movement with manual winding make it a watch for connoisseurs. The Santos collection pieces are both bold and graceful timepieces.