Iconic, But With a Twist: The Cartier Santos-Dumont Ref. WGSA0053

In the last two years, Cartier has surged with unprecedented interest. Cartier has a profound respect for its history, heritage, and reputation, and by remaining true to the brand’s historic identity, Cartier has seen nearly unrivaled growth in the watch industry—a fact few know. Today, we are taking a look at one of the brand’s contemporary reimaginations of a classic. The Santos Dumont WGSA0053 Limited Edition is the intersection of one of Cartier’s most significant model lines and a number of modern refinements and details. 

History

The Cartier Santos-Dumont is named for a famed explorer, Alberto Santos-Dumont. Born in the late 1800s with a knack for tinkering, building and discovering, Santos Dumont moved to France to build aircraft and pursue his first passion—aviation. There, he became a close friend of Louis Cartier. As the friendship blossomed, Cartier built a prototype tool watch for Santos-Dumont. What began as Cartier’s first wristwatch later became one of Cartier’s greatest successes. 

After the 1904 prototype given to Santos-Dumont, the piece later became a commercial success as the global community began to embrace wristwatches as viable alternatives to pocket watches. Ever since, the Santos and its broader collection have been a cornerstone of the Cartier offerings. Its utilitarian design and elegant refinements have made the watch a wild success. 

Design Details

This piece is foundationally built upon the Cartier Santos design language. It features the classic exposed screw bezel, slight convexity to the case, kinked lug profile, strap integration, and classy Cartier tang buckle. In many respects this piece pays tribute to the Santos quite characteristically when viewed with broad strokes. 

That said, this piece is entirely distinctive in the details. In place of the classic stainless steel case and bezel, this piece is fashioned from platinum with red enamel inlays. Gone is the simple dial, replaced with concentric squares forming almost the illusion of three dimensionality. Applied indexes supplant the stamped black ones and the railroad minute track is moved to the periphery of the dial. 

All told, this 150 piece limited edition possesses a unique interplay between modern and traditional detailing. It’s an elegant piece, and has the same versatile appeal that the Santos always has: on the one hand profoundly sporty and purpose-built, and simultaneously, refined, sophisticated, and dressy. This dual nature is part of what makes the Santos one of the most successful designs Cartier– and any brand– has ever conceived. 

Inner Workings

The Cartier Santos Dumont WGSA0053 is powered by the manually wound caliber MC430. The Cartier-branded variant of Piaget’s ultra-thin caliber 430P, this is a relatively basic manually-wound movement supplying 36 hours of power reserve at full wind. The movement takes back stage on this piece, allowing the design and externals of the piece to dominate the conversation, yet Cartier has still opted for the most traditional option in a manually wound movement in place of an automatic. Reliable, serviceable, and slender in profile, the MC430 is one of Cartier’s most famous, watchmaker-favorite movements. 

Versus the Competition

While there are a number of alternatives to this Santos, I think the best come from within the Santos family. My personal favorite is the WGSA0098. Executed in rose gold, it’s essentially the same piece in build and shell, but has a blue dial, blue strap, and blue enamel bezel and case inlays. It’s a bit more reserved than the WGSA0053, so depending on your specific preferences, you’ll gravitate one way or another. 

The WGSA050 is slightly different in configuration, with a guilloché ice blue dial, applied indexes, and a platinum case. Once more, we are talking about a watch that is fundamentally the same, but with slightly different finishing choices. Given the universality of the Santos design, one of their many references is quite likely to suit your preferences.

Finally, I’d recommend checking out the 7809, or another older Santos. I’ve met a number of collectors who don’t like the feel of modern Santos models, who then try one of the older pieces and really enjoy them. Older models have a very different personality that you’re going to like decidedly more or less. Trying one of these pieces out is a great idea as a point of comparison. 

Personality

The collector that opts for a watch of this kind is looking for something a bit out of the ordinary. Likely not a one watch collection, this is the type of watch one buys to bring some interest. Instead of opting for the cliche choice, this particular reference speaks to the collector that appreciates good design but wants something that others aren’t likely to have. 

It’s a common occurrence among mega collectors, who appreciate a design but don’t want to own a “boring” watch that many many collectors are likely to own and enjoy. This is where something of the WGSA0053’s kind comes in handy. 

Final Thoughts

The Cartier Santos is one of the most famous Cartier designs, yet few appreciate the full scope of its impact on the brand. The first official wristwatch the company produced, one of, if not the very earliest sport watches ever made, and the start of a nearly 100 year legacy, the Santos has a rich history that supports its beautiful design. 

This reference brings an exciting and playful update to the collection, limited in production for a discerning group of Cartier collectors. Own a small part of this legacy. 

See more of the Cartier Santos WGSA0053

Visit europeanwatch.com