"The Cartier Santos watch was first created as a one-off for celebrated aviation pioneer Alberto Santos-Dumont. The Brazilian bon vivant and adventurer specialized in dirigibles, and he is also acknowledged as among the very first to pilot a heavier-than-air machine. In 1901 Santos-Dumont became a household name when he flew a powered dirigible around the Eiffel Tower. Archives Cartier Paris Numa Blanc Fils Alberto Santos-Dumont, Brazilian dandy and aviation pioneer."
"In 1904, Louis Cartier, the grandson of the Maison's original founder, created a watch engineered for his aviator friend's way of life. Instead of fumbling for a pocket watchthen the normSantos-Dumont could glance at his wrist to track flight time without having to take his hands off the controls of his aircraft. At the time, this was a revolutionary concept, one that established an entirely new and convenient way of keeping time."
"The Santos, then, was born out of a need not for style, but for function. Yet Cartier never did anything without style and modernity front of mind. And the Santos had it in spades. Its striking rounded-square shape, inspired by Louis Cartier's search for streamlined designs, made it instantly iconic. Visible screws on the bezel gave a deliberately industrial feel to its case, lending it an "Art Deco" feel a good 20 years before the term was even coined."
Alberto Santos-Dumont rose to fame as a Brazilian aviator and dirigible pioneer, noted for daring flights and flamboyant amusements. Louis Cartier designed a practical wristwatch in 1904 so Santos-Dumont could read time without removing his hands from aircraft controls, replacing the pocket watch. The Santos combined function with striking modernist aesthetics: a rounded-square case and visible bezel screws that anticipated Art Deco. The model debuted publicly in 1911 and helped launch a series of Cartier modernist designs, including the Tonneau, Tortue, and Tank, consolidating Cartier's reputation for innovative luxury watchmaking.
Read at www.esquire.com
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