Cartier Santos Dumont

Overall Condition: Very good condition overall. Unpolished case shows moderate wear. Dial and matching handset show even patination.

The first Cartier wristwatch, arguably the first sports watch of all time, and an enduring design to this day, the Cartier Santos-Dumont is a monument in the story of modern horology. Sure, it's a beloved watch design, but few fully grasp the Biblical impact this piece has had on the industry as a whole.

The story of the Cartier Santos-Dumont dates back to the early 1900s and a fascinating man, Alberto Santos-Dumont. Born in 1873 into a family of engineers and farmers, Santos-Dumont's father was involved in railroad construction, instilling in him a passion for travel and exploration. This naturally led to a fascination with aviation, his greatest passion.

After moving to France, Santos-Dumont built a number of balloons, airships, and later, primitive aircraft. He quickly made significant breakthroughs in the history of early flight, including the very first publicly viewed manned flight in Europe. Santos-Dumont’s high profile, daring experiments put him in company with some of the most prominent personalities of France, including Louis Cartier.

Cartier and Santos-Dumont’s friendship blossomed from mutual respect for innovation and creativity. In 1904, Louis Cartier gave Santos-Dumont a special watch that was designed to be worn on the wrist — a novel concept at the time. The primitive, sturdy square watch was essentially the first dedicated pilot's watch, and more broadly, the first sports watch.

The so-called Cartier Santos-Dumont was as daring as Santos-Dumont’s early flights. At a point where the wristwatch was not yet popularized, Cartier presented a bold, square wristwatch design, truly challenging the limits of buttoned-up French tastes. However, by 1908, Cartier revisited the 1904 prototype made for Santos-Dumont, making the watch commercially available by 1911. Since then, Cartier has made dozens of Santos models — automatics, manually-wound pieces, quartz watches, complicated references, and more.

This particular Santos-Dumont is notable for its two-tone construction: Housed in a 20mm white gold case with a yellow gold 'rivet' bezel and blue cabochon-set crown, it features an acrylic crystal beneath which is situated a white 'Roman' dial with a 'chemin de fer' minute track and a blued steel 'sword' handset. Powered by a manually-wound movement and paired to a black alligator strap with a yellow gold deployant clasp, this has to be one of the most elegant Santos-Dumont references ever conceived.

Don't sleep on this Paris-signed Reference 78226 — it surely won't last long!