Louis Cartier created the Santos in 1902 for his friend, the aviation pioneer, Alberto Santos-Dumont, making it the first pilot’s watch and one of the first wristwatches not designated as jewelry.
Fast forward 121 years, and Cartier’s oldest extant design is undeniably iconic, but generally considered a dress watch. Tool watch design has come a very long way over the past century, and so has the Parisian watchmaker and jewelry brand.
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The Santos de Cartier is now a symbol of luxury, often constructed from precious metal, and rarely put in harm’s way. But Cartier penned the next chapter in the collection’s story, and it’s a callback to those tool watch roots.
Cartier now offers the Santos, for the first time in its history, in full titanium. More specifically, the case and integrated bracelet are made of Grade 5 Extra Low Interstitial titanium, which the brand claims is 43 percent lighter and 1.5 times stronger than steel.
The debut Santos de Cartier Titanium comes in the brand’s Large size, with a 39.8mm-wide and 9.3mm-tall case. A bead-blasted finish creates a positively badass impression, refocusing on the industrial design elements, such as the exposed screws and the bolt crown.
