No longer in the catalog for some time, it was created by the Maison in 2004 to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of when Louis Cartier Replica created one of the first wristwatches in history, certainly the first for men.
As with the invention of the watch, that of the wrist variant cannot be traced back to a single name. But Cartier can certainly boast several unique testimonies, including having been the first brand to regularly market a wristwatch in 1911.
The first Santos
It all began in 1904 when the daredevil Brazilian-born inventor and aviator Santos-Dumont approached Louis Cartier and confessed that while flying on his Demoiselle he would never be able to read his pocket watch.
Having grown considerably in size, its case, obviously pseudo-square in shape, initially measured 41 mm in diameter by 51 mm in length. At 10.3 mm thick, the Santos of a hundred years later recall the incredibly thin silhouette (for those times) of their progenitor.
It was also available in a smaller version of 35.6 mm wide. To move them, after Cartier had also had to turn to quartz in the models of previous years, it chose highly reliable ETA 2892 self-winding calibres.
Gradually the Santos 100, from a timepiece created to pay homage to the centenary, has become a collection in itself, developing various references including some with cases in advanced materials of light titanium or in simple steel but with black PVD treatment.
Other aesthetic variations included the classic screwed square bezels but in 18k gold and with all black titanium cases.
As already mentioned, the dimensions and design remain almost unchanged but recently a skeletonized model has also been seen with the new 9611 manually wound movement on board, the first manufacture caliber created in-house by Cartier.
The Santos of 2018
The Santos 100 line is no longer in the catalog today and after some reflection in 2018 Cartier surprisingly launched a series of completely new Santos at SIHH which courageously in turn took their first steps fearful of not being up to a such a legendary profile. And instead they turned out to be a success.
From the outside the watch now appears more rectangular, thinner, and with several small aesthetic interventions. The look is so pleasant that with results like this even the most reluctant brand to change a single screw (Rolex) would be convinced to go against its nature.
Today the collection presents big steps forward even underneath, in the mechanics. Now the Santos series is powered by the Cartier 1847 manufacture movement.
In conclusion
On the Cartier Italia website today the Santos 100 large model is still found in three references: XL, medium and Carbon. There are probably still some pieces left here to dispose of. The big version in steel costs 6,850 Euros, but being a timepiece that has been in circulation for fifteen years, many second-hand ones can also be found.
Waterproof up to 100 meters with a bright colored neoprene strap, I see it at ease even at the seaside. If you can make it your own, a Santos 100 is a best-buy.
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