Should You Buy the Cartier Santos in Titanium or Black Dial Steel?
Elegance and utility are a tough combination to achieve, but when you get it right, the results are often iconic. The original Burberry trench is one example. Dieter Rams’ 606 Universal Shelving System for Vitsoe is another. The Cartier Santos, designed in 1904 by Louis Cartier for pioneering Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos Dumont, is also a member of this elite club.
So the story goes, Santos Dumont required a watch that he could look at while flying his experimental aircraft, and in satisfying this brief, Cartier created both the first pilot’s watch and the first watch designed to be worn on the wrist. An elegant solution to a practical problem, the Santos would establish the codes that underpin Cartier’s watch design to this day. The Santos de Cartier Titanium Large Model and the Santos de Cartier Black Dial Large Model are just two examples of the design’s enduring legacy.
Over the last 121 years, the Santos de Cartier has been reborn in countless variations, from two-tone gold and steel to matte black PVD to ornate skeletonized versions with micro-rotors modelled after Santos Dumont’s aircraft designs. Last fall, Cartier introduced a new selection of Santos Dumont Small Models, whose dimensions hew closely to those of the 1904 original. Like these (and every other Santos that came before them), the Santos de Cartier in Titanium and Santos de Cartier Black Dial offer a unique look while maintaining the same symmetrical lines, Roman numerals, and exposed screws that are central to the Santos’ identity.
As the first version of the Santos in titanium, the former adds something new — in both materiality and symbolic significance — to the Santos story. For one thing, the matte look of this model’s bead-blasted exterior easily sets it apart from the brushed and polished surfaces of its steel counterparts. Look deeper, however, and the titanium Santos also presents an interesting link to Louis Cartier’s time. The original Santos, it is said, was inspired in part by the symmetry of Parisian streets at the turn of the century. Its visible screws might likewise be said to evoke the new technologies that shaped that era’s architecture, such as the structural steel that made possible the world’s first skyscrapers, and the industrial aesthetics that foreshadowed the early modernist movement.
The black dial steel model, meanwhile, provides a classic yet punchy alternative to the white dials that are typical of Cartier’s design language. It’s a small change, certainly, but one with a big impact — especially in low light. That’s when its SuperLuminova-coated hands and numerals begin to glow, marking the first time this high-tech material has been used on a Santos model. An interchangeable bracelet and strap with Cartier’s QuickSwitch system add another element of versatility to these models, allowing you to change their looks according to your mood or the occasion. Much like the Santos itself, it’s an elegant solution to a practical problem.
Learn more about the Cartier Santos.
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