Cartier Santos

Cartier Santos is considered one of the first pilots watches. The concept for the watch was inspired by Alberto Santos- Dumont, one of the most famous pilots of the 20th century and a close friend of Louis Cartier.

In 1901, during his flight around the Eiffel Tower, Santos had to use a pocket watch to time his flight which took his attention away from navigation controls. When Louis Cartier learned about the issues that Santos was having, he quickly decided to create a watch that would allow his friend to safely and conveniently time his flights. The first Cartier Santos wristwatch had a square case that featured metal rivets akin to those that could be found on the aircraft of the day. Alberto Santos wore his Cartier watch every time he flew his aircraft.

Alberto Santos was a European celebrity because of his advancements in aviation. His fame also opened new avenues for Cartier. At that time, wrist watches were mainly worn by women. Santos’ frequent appearance with a watch on his wrist brought the wrist watch into men’s fashion as well.

The popularity of Cartier Santos declined with the beginning of WWII, but experienced a resurgence in the 1970’s. Today, Cartier Santos remains to be a highly collectable watch.

Santos de Cartier Galbee

This particular line of Cartier Santos watches features a stainless steel or a two-tone design case and is reminiscent of the original design. However, unlike the original this watch comes on a stainless steel bracelet that is adorned with the iconic Santos rivets.

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Santos-Dumont

Cartier Santos-Dumont is a formal line of watches. This line predominantly features watches that are made out precious metals, feature complicated movements, and / or watches adorned with diamonds. Most of the timepieces in this line come on a leather strap and are a perfect accessory for evening attire.

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Santos 100

Cartier Santos 100 is an homage to the Santos prototype. This watch features the classic riveted bezel, a square case, and comes on a sturdy alligator strap.

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However, if you are the type that would spend a little more to have the ability to marvel at engineering and design genius, we would suggest taking a look at Cartier Santos 100 Skeleton watch. This stunning timepiece cleverly disguised the movement of the watch as a dial and movement bridges are expertly crafted to resemble Roman numeral. The watch case is made out of palladium and features iconic blued-steel hands.

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If you are looking for a Cartier Santos watch to add to your collection Ermitage Jewelers can help. We buy, sell, and trade only the finest, authentic, Swiss and luxury watches in Atlanta. All of our watches have been tested for authenticity and accuracy by our master watchmaker in our state of the art repair facility. Browse our collection or stop by our convenient Atlanta location to get the absolute best deal on a Cartier Santos.