This article is replica rolex dedicated to the Cartier Santos 100.
For some time no longer in the catalog, it was created by the Maison in 2004 to celebrate the 100th anniversary since Louis Cartier made one of the first wristwatches in history, certainly the first for men.
As with the invention of the watch, that of the wrist variant cannot be traced back to a single name. But certainly Cartier can boast several unique testimonials including being the first brand to regularly market a wristwatch in 1911.
It is therefore evident that the Santos 100 – commemorative clock – is a double milestone of the Maison. He remained almost unchanged until 2016, the year that began to mark the end of his mandate.
Two years later in 2018 Cartier relaunched a completely new Santos series with 13 references and cases of various metals. This second version of the watch has changed the design without affecting its message which, over a hundred years old, never fails to underline its infinite class.
The first Santos
It all started in 1904 when the daredevil inventor and aviator born in Brazil Santos-Dumont turned to Louis Cartier confessing that while flying on his Demoiselle he would never be able to read his pocket watch.
Cartier Santos early 1900 Cartier designed and created for him a thin timepiece to be tied to the wrist with a leather strap closed by a tiny clasp. In November 1906 Santos-Dumont was immortalized in a 21.6-second film while driving his aircraft he flew at a height of about 220 meters and of course with that Cartier tied to his wrist.
Since then all the models in the collection, not least the centenary Santos, have remained glued to that prototype with the characteristic square shape of the hollowed bezel, the slender Roman numerals and the cabochon cut stone set on the crown. But as we will see below when it was time, they were able to adapt successfully.
The history of the Santos 100
In 2004 Cartier entrusted the difficult task of perpetuating the Santos-Dumont watch in a modern key to the Santos 100.
Having grown a lot in size, its case, obviously pseudo-square in shape, initially measured 41 mm in diameter by 51 mm in length. With 10.3 mm thickness, the Santos of a hundred years later recall the incredibly thin silhouette (for those times) of their ancestor.
It was also available in a smaller version of 35.6 mm wide. To move them, after Cartier had had to bend to the quartz in the models of the previous years, he chose the very reliable ETA 2892 caliber with automatic winding.
Gradually the Santos 100, from a timepiece born to pay homage to the centenary, has become a collection in itself by developing different references including some with cases in advanced materials of light titanium or in simple steel but with black PVD treatment.
Other aesthetic variations included the classic screwed square bezels but in 18k gold and with all black titanium cases.
As already mentioned, the measures and design remain almost unchanged but in the last period there is also a skeleton model with the new manual winding movement 9611 on board, the first manufacture caliber created in-house by Cartier.
The Santos of 2018
The Santos 100 line is no longer in the catalog and after some surprise reflections in 2018 Cartier launched a series of completely new Santos at SIHH which fake Cartier courageously in turn took their first steps fearful of not being up to a so legendary profile. Instead they turned out to be a success.
From outside, the clock now appears more rectangular, thinner, and with several small aesthetic interventions. The look is so pleasant that with such results even the most reluctant brand to change a single screw (Rolex) would be persuaded to go against its nature.
Today the collection shows great progress also below, in mechanics. The Santos series is now moved by the Cartier 1847 movement, a manufacture movement.
Concluding
On the Cartier Italia website, the Santos 100 large model can still be found in three references: XL, medium and Carbon. Probably there are still some pieces left to be disposed of here. The big steel version costs 6,850 Euros, but being a timepiece in circulation for fifteen years, there are also many second-hand ones.
Waterproof up to 100 meters with a replica watches neoprene strap of a bright color I see it at ease even at the sea. If you can make it yours, a Santos 100 is a best-buy.
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