The Tank, Panthére and Santos have been classic Cartier watch icons for generations. Over the years, the Tank (recently celebrating its 100th anniversary) and the Panthere have seen design updates and thus the Santos was a revamp waiting to happen. More importantly, the new SIHH 2018 Cartier Santos de Cartier is a pioneering watch designed specifically for eCommerce Sales.

Alberto Santos-Dumont was close to Gustave Eiffel, Jules Verne, and other members of the industrial, artistic and scientific elite. But when he met Louis Cartier in 1900, little did he realise that he would inspire the world’s first purpose designed wristwatch (and a literal aviator’s watch at that). The legend of the Santos de Cartier was birthed in 1903, a short two years after Santos-Dumont complained to Cartier about difficulty checking time on his pocket watch mid-flight. It is from this pivotal moment in history that Cartier would pioneer the first wristwatch, just as the new SIHH 2018 Cartier Santos de Cartier is a pioneering watch designed specifically for the eCommerce age.

SIHH 2018 Cartier Santos de Cartier, a revamped collection designed for eCommerce Sales

Just as the original Cartier Santos perpetuated the style and spirit for men like Alberto Santos-Dumont who changed the world, the new SIHH 2018 Cartier Santos de Cartier is proactive in its evolution and transformation much in the same way Louis Cartier heralded a new watchmaking era at the dawn of the 20th century for the maison and the industry at large.

Like the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak which followed over 50 years later, the distinctive aesthetic of the Cartier Santos symbolised the modern era with its progressive design developed in the age of engineering. The new SIHH 2018 Santos de Cartier watch stays true to this original philosophy by reflecting the innovative, ever-changing spirit of its own age.

How does one update a classic?

For the Year of the Santos, Cartier focused on comfort, intelligent proportions and respect for the avant garde aesthetic, for starters, the new SIHH 2018 Cartier Santos de Cartier extends and improves upon its artistic DNA: first, the square shape remains unchanged, echoing the refinement and symmetry of Parisian geometry expressed in the four angular corners of the Eiffel Tower.

Next, the eight screws on the bezel return, a hat tip to the proliferation of mechanical steel structures associated with a golden age of urban architecture. Where the purely functional element was previously concealed , Cartier dared to display it as a point of art and conversation.

How does one update a classic? By evolutive steps. The bezel of the new Santos de Cartier has been updated to favour the synergy between the lines of the case and the strap, accentuating the stylistic dynamic of the watch. Like the original, the strap too is a defining element in the Santos de Cartier, where once it was used to make the world’s first modern wristwatch, the new Santos de Cartier features an innovative strap in keeping with the spirit of our time.

The new strap, capable of rapid change via button press, caters to modern lifestyles and ease of movement, and can be tailored to suit any occasion according to the choice of materials and colours; dubbed the Cartier QuickSwitch system (patent pending), the invisible mechanism hidden under the strap blends into the structure of the case and, to activate the system, the wearer simply presses the mechanism.

The Cartier QuickSwitch system (patent pending) is an invisible mechanism hidden under the strap blends into the structure of the case and, to activate the system, the wearer simply presses the mechanism

How is the Santos de Cartier designed for the eCommerce Age?

After considering the hassle involved for consumers ordering a watch through an eCommerce platform and then having to go to a watch retailer or boutique for bracelet adjustment in order to fit the wrist comfortably felt archaic and illogical. To counter this point of madness, Cartier invented the cutting-edge SmartLink self-fitting technology (patent pending). With this innovative Smartlink system, the owner simply adjusts the length of the metal bracelet to the nearest link without the use of a tool, thanks to hidden buttons located on each SmartLink. At a push, the attachment bar is unlatched and one of the brushed metal links with screws can be added or removed from the Santos de Cartier watch.

Even the movement of the new SIHH 2018 Cartier Santos de Cartier is designed for the future: the new 1847 MC automatic calibre is ever ambitious and as pioneering as the first Santos created for Alberto.

The calibre 1847 MC features anti-magnetic nickel phosphorus components in the escapement and movement mechanisms, as well as a shield made from a paramagnetic alloy, rendering the calibre effectively resistant to the powerful magnetic fields a watch may be exposed to in everyday life.

Furthermore, thanks to the screw-down assembly design, the new Santos de Cartier offers water- resistance up to 100 meters with minimal case thickness, a rarity of watches as dressy as the new SIHH 2018 Santos de Cartier.

Santos de Cartier Price and Specs

Case Available in 35.1mm, 39.8mm sizes and varying materials: Stainless steel, stainless steel and yellow gold, pink gold, yellow gold and features 100m water resistance
Movement Automatic 1847 MC with 42 hours power reserve
Strap Variety of leather, steel and precious metal bracelets with quick-change system and SmartLinks for bracelet adjustment
Price Starting from US$6,250 to $60,000 for Santos de Cartier Skeleton in pink gold