Cartier Santos de Cartier
Looking through all of our picks of the best watches of 2018, the Santos de Cartier would probably be the least ‘complicated’ one of the lot. However, upon closer inspection, you will find that that this is the watch with the most historical value. Within the square case of the Santos, you will find what some consider to be the very first wristwatch ever made. It was in 1904 that aviator Alberto Santos- Dumont asked his friend Louis Cartier to make him a timepiece that he could strap to his wrist so it would be easier to read during flight (auto-pilot wasn’t quite a thing yet back then). And, thus, the watch collection was named after Santos and remains an integral part of Cartier until today.
For 2018, Cartier has kept the key identifiers of the Santos watch – the square shape and the eight screws on the bezel – as it was, but the rest have been updated to include all the comforts of modernity. Where the original was clad in a leather strap, the new Santos de Cartier offers a choice of a gorgeous steel or gold bracelet that comes with the Cartier QuickSwitch system allowing the wearer to easily switch it out for a leather strap. What’s even more interesting is the SmartLink self-fitting technology that will allow you to add or remove the links without the use of any tools.
Best of all, the calibre 1847 MC movement within the watch has antimagnetic nickel phosphorus components in the escapement and movement mechanisms, as well as a shield made from a paramagnetic alloy, making it near impervious to the magnetic fields that we encounter in our daily lives.
