Cartier Santos: Why a 1904 Design Still Sells for $10k

The problem it was built to solve

In 1904 men did not wear watches on the wrist. Wristwatches were considered a women's item. Men carried pocket watches, which is fine on the ground and useless at 200 metres with both hands on the controls.

Santos-Dumont complained about exactly that to Cartier. The answer was a square pocket watch case with a screwed-down bezel and integrated lugs, strapped to the wrist so time could be read at a glance. On 12 November 1906 he flew 220 metres in 21.5 seconds and became the first person filmed in an aeroplane in flight, wearing what is very likely the first pilot's wristwatch anyone had made.

It stayed his alone for seven years. Cartier only sold the Santos-Dumont to the public from 1911.

Why the price does not come down

Three things hold it up. The design has never been redrawn: exposed screws on the bezel, square case, Roman numerals, the same silhouette you can see in 1904 drawings. Watches that get restyled every decade lose the claim.

Second, it is the origin story of an entire product category. Every pilot's watch since is downstream of this one, and Cartier owns that lineage outright.

Third, it is a Cartier, which means jewellery-house pricing rather than watchmaker pricing. You are paying for the case finishing and the name as much as the movement. Whether that is worth it is a personal call, and plenty of people would rather have three very good watches than one Santos. What is not arguable is that the price is not marketing invention. It is a hundred and twenty years of the same drawing.

For more of the small histories behind everyday things, we run these on @heritage__sg.

FAQs

Who was Alberto Santos-Dumont?

A Brazilian aviation pioneer and a friend of Louis Cartier. In 1906 he became the first person filmed flying an aeroplane, covering 220 metres in 21.5 seconds.

Was the Cartier Santos the first wristwatch?

It is widely credited as the first wristwatch designed specifically for men and for a practical purpose. Wristwatches existed before 1904, but were worn by women and treated as jewellery.

When could the public buy a Santos?

From 1911. For the first seven years Santos-Dumont was the only person wearing it.

Why is the Cartier Santos so expensive?

Because the design has been essentially unchanged since 1904, because it is the origin point of the pilot's watch category, and because Cartier prices as a jewellery house rather than a watch manufacturer.