PERFECT LANDING

Santos de Cartier Dual Time is the first in the Santos collection to boast the functionality. We take a closer look at the watch to see how it lives up to its aviation roots.

- Chitra Lohani Saharan

In 1904, Louis Cartier reimagined the way aviators told time with the creation of the Santos, a wristwatch that would not only serve as a functional tool in the skies, but also go on to lay the foundation for one of Cartier’s most iconic collections. At a time when pocket watches were still the norm, the Santos represented a bold shift, becoming the first wrist watch in history for pilots, named after Alberto Santos-Dumont, the Brazilian aviator who inspired it. Its distinctive features—an elegant square case with softened edges, Roman numerals, a railroad minute track, swordshaped hands, and exposed bezel screws— became the brand’s signature.

Over the past century, the Santos has understandably evolved with lines like the Santos-Dumont and the Santos de Cartier, yet these hallmark elements have remained unchanged and gone a long way in preserving the watch’s timeless appeal. This year at Watches and Wonders Geneva, the legendary Santos took flight once again and made a perfect landing with the Santos de Cartier’s first-ever dual time watch—the Santos de Cartier Dual Time (Ref. CRWSSA0076). Exactly 100 years after the pioneering original was launched, Santos de Cartier offers the convenience of tracking two time zones at a single glance.