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Cartier Santos - Then and Now

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Saw the Cartier exhibition in Canberra, Australia this week. Apart from all the spectacular jewelery (Tower of London worthy), the exhibit featured several Cartier watches. It made me think. What makes an iconic watch?
The Cartier Santos was developed for a Brazillian-Franco pilot, Alberto Santos- Dumont, who had complained that it was difficult to juggle a pocket watch and test fly at the same time. This was at the birth of powered flight, when distances covered were still measured in mere yards! And et voila! The first pilot watch was born at the hands of Cartier, a great innovator and designer.
So what makes it iconic? For starters, the watch is still remarkably similar in appearance after 114 years. The version at the exhibit is a 1916 model. Secondly, it still looks great. This, inspite of the fact that the watch was designed for industrial functionality, rarher than fashionability. Cartier worked over the years to make the watch more affordable, but it still has its own immediately identifiable style. That's iconic!
Cartier Santos watch -1916
Platinum, gold, sapphire cabochon, round LeCoultre caliber 126 movement, fausses Cotes de Geneva decoration, rhodium plated, 8 adjustments, 18 jewel, Swiss lever escarpment, bi-metallic balance Brequet balance spring. Beautiful!

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Cartier Santos watch - 2018
Medium model, mechanical movement with automatic winding, 1847 MC. Case in steel, seven-sided crown set with a faceted synthetic spinel, silvered opaline dial, blued-steel sword-shaped hands, sapphire crystal. Still Beautiful!

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Hodinkee ran a week on the wrist article last month in case you missed it.
https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/cartier-santos-review
I really like this watch, would love to see it in person. I think the Medium size offering with no date is a real winner.
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