Cartier unveils their new Santos-Dumont collection in vibrant colours, precious metal, and one that reverses time – literally!
Hot off the back of their new Santos de Cartier collection drops for Watches & Wonders 2024 with the new Santos de Cartier Dual Time, Cartier has dropped their new Santos-Dumont collection, with new vibrant dials, precious metals and a unique Boutique exclusive piece that tells time in reverse. So, let’s start there, shall we?
Cartier has given this special, limited edition of 200 pieces a unique reversed dial, with the applied rhodium-plated Roman numerals traversing the dial backwards. At first, you don’t notice it and do a double take, then you realise what you’re looking at and it’s quite a head-spin! To achieve this, Cartier has given the piece an inverted mechanical manual winding calibre 250 MC to reverse the way the hands rotate and tell the time.
Reading the numeral backwards, you have to get your head around this and remember that 10 past 10 in the old non-reversed world is actually 10 minutes to 2 or vice versa! The dial is deep red due to the Carnelian used for the dial. (Just FYI, Carnelian is a brownish-red mineral often used as a semi-precious stone – thanks Wikipedia!) On top, Cartier has applied the Roman numerals in reverse and apple-shaped hands going anti-clockwise.
The watch is cased in Platinum, and the crown is capped off with a ruby cabochon which matches the dial. The semi-matte brown alligator leather strap with Platinum Ardillon buckle rounds out the piece nicely. On the back, Alberto Santos-Dumont’s signature is engraved along with the numbered limited edition of 200 pieces.
Moving onto the wider collection, Cartier has created three new unique Santos-Dumont pieces, all in the large 31.5 x 43.5 mm and just a mere 7.3mm thick. The three versions come in olive green and platinum, blue peacock and rose gold or taupe grey and yellow gold, and all look fantastic in their colorway choices.
The dial colours here are what really pop, and this is only accentuated by the colour-matched alligator leather straps. The dials achieve their vibrance through the less than a thousandth of a millimetre smoothed and hand-polished lacquer that is applied to each. The effect is somewhat stunning when seen in person.
For these, Cartier has opted for Arabic numerals as opposed to the Roman numerals on the Rewind, which gives these an elegant old-school feel, with the metal arched frame that is punctuated with screws emphasise the square shape of the watches.
These three pieces all come with Cartier’s manual mechanical movement, calibre 430 MC and as mentioned, all have matching coloured semi-matte alligator straps to complete the vibrant look of each. The two gold versions feature a blue sapphire cabochon while the green has a ruby cabochon adorning the crown. Again, this is another element carrier has thought through to compliment the colour scheme of each piece.
Final Thoughts
The Santos-Dumont has always been an elegant piece that watch aficionados and discerning watch lovers have gravitated towards. The blend of old-world charm with modern design cues seems to tug at the heartstrings of many, and for good reason. They’re a piece that is more formal in look, but dresses down with the right look of casual cool.
The addition of the Carnelian dial Rewind is quirky and fun without losing the elegance and charm of the Santos-Dumont, and the three Platinum, Rose Gold and Yellow Gold pieces with colourful dials again adds some vibrance and life to these pieces and alternative to the more formal watches in the range. It gives something for everyone!
Specifications:
- Case: 31.5mm x 43.5 mm and a Thickness of 7.3 mm
- Case Materials: Platinum, Rose gold & Yellow gold brushed and polished
- Dial: Carnelian (Rewind) or Peacock Blue (Rose Gold), Sunburst Olive Green (Platinum) or Taupe Grey (Yellow Gold)
- Crystal: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
- Water resistance: 30m
- Movement: Inverted mechanical manual winding calibre 250 MC (Rewind) and manual mechanical movement, calibre 430 MC
- Power reserve: Approx 42 hours
- Strap: Colour-matched semi-matte alligator straps on the blue, green and grey. Brown semi-matte alligator strap on the Rewind.
