Comments:
One of the finest pieces ever created in modern horology world.
You may agree or disagree with me 🙂🤓
Cartier Santos Dumont Peacock.
Ref WGSA0098
Santos-Dumont watch, large model, mechanical movement with manual winding 430 MC. 18K rose gold 750/1000 case, beaded crown set with a blue cabochon-shaped sapphire, sunray-brushed and lacquered peacock blue dial with Arabic numerals, gold-finish polished steel sword-shaped hands, sapphire crystal. Case back engraved with the handwritten signature of Alberto Santos-Dumont. Strap in blue alligator leather, 18K rose gold (750/1000 ardillon buckle. Case dimensions: 43.5 x 31.4 mm, thickness: 7.3 mm. Water-resistant up to 3 bar (approx. 30 meters/100 feet), would You go swim with this dumont ???😭
Cartier Santos Dumont Peacock.
Ref WGSA0098
Santos-Dumont watch, large model, mechanical movement with manual winding 430 MC. 18K rose gold 750/1000 case, beaded crown set with a blue cabochon-shaped sapphire, sunray-brushed and lacquered peacock blue dial with Arabic numerals, gold-finish polished steel sword-shaped hands, sapphire crystal. Case back engraved with the handwritten signature of Alberto Santos-Dumont. Strap in blue alligator leather, 18K rose gold (750/1000 ardillon buckle. Case dimensions: 43.5 x 31.4 mm, thickness: 7.3 mm. Water-resistant up to 3 bar (approx. 30 meters/100 feet), would You go swim with this dumont ???😭
I couldn't agree more, so far as deisign is concerned.
As the happy owner of a different limited edition Arabic numeral Santos-Dumont and as a retired design professional, I admire Cartier's longstanding excellence (even supremacy?) when it comes to watch design, and the Santos models in all their forms exemplify the company's rich heritage in this regard. The Santos de Cartier and Santos-Dumont remain distinctive, compelling, and instantly recognizable after over a century of development.
Without in any way disparaging Cartier, though, I would draw a distinction between design and horological content. No question that the Santos variants, the Tank, the Crash, and the Tortue, among others, represent pinnacles in watch design. Barring some of the Collection Privée releases, however, Cartier's mechanical (horological) components don't often match their designs in quality and finish. The Santos-Dumont is a fine example. While the case, dial, enamel work, and dial fittings as described by King of the Road are peerless, the Santos-Dumont runs on a perfectly capable, but undistinguished, Piaget-sourced manual wind movement, which does not match contemporary standards with its very short power reserve.
Don't get me wrong, it is a great watch, but it has square cased peers - say, the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatic, for one - that marry distinctive and effective design with far greater horological interest. I do applaud Cartier for sticking to nicely engraved solid
casebacks in its Santos collections. They represent a strong argument
that a transparent caseback is not always a positive design feature. I must also point out that there are plenty of competing brands that offer compelling mechanical features and finishing, but whose deigns are relatively undistinguished, or even clumsy. Cartier, as a brand, seems to know what it does well, and leverages its design chops effectively (as long as Richemont lets it).
The Santos-Dumont XL, Ref. #WSA0025, circa 2021.
I didn't buy a Santos-Dumont for it's horological content. I bought it because it offers a magnificent design that enjoy wearing, and I don't believe that Cartier really needs to do more with the movement in order to keep the line successful. Cartier's current standing in the watch sales hierarchy speaks well to this.
Best to all!
I have to think as basically a jewelry company that aesthetics of design are just far more important to them than stunning horological movements.
I’d also probably guess that outside of us “ watch savants”, movements take a back seat to style and design to the vast majority of their clients as well.
As long as the watches are reliable, which I believe they are, they really aren’t all that concerned with pretty movements.
It does seem a bit incongruous that a company with a history of such great watches, would feel that way but I guess that just their take on watches.
As long as the watches are reliable, which I believe they are, they really aren’t all that concerned with pretty movements.
It does seem a bit incongruous that a company with a history of such great watches, would feel that way but I guess that just their take on watches.
Well said!
And to be fair, some of Cartier's less-accessible pieces, like the Rotonde de Cartier Masse Mystérieuse (Ref. #WHRO0082), with the movement inside the rotor, or the Tortue Monopoussoir Chronograpph (Ref. #CRWHTO0008), with its shaped, hand-wound chronograph movement, do offer more purely horological interest for the so-called "savants". ;-D
Thanks for sharing
I had not seen this watch before. I think it is gorgeous.
The discussion about movements is also very interesting. It reminds me of something someone on this forum famously said regarding his Cartier: "I bought this watch for its beauty, not for its brains."
Love this one 🙌🏻👌🏻⚖️
Balanced, wonderful. Maybe not my favorite iteration but super appealing irrespective.
Would I swim with it? Not with this strap for sure 😂 Maybe the Pasha is more the swim watch from their catalog - at least the old ones were 👍🏻 And had a lume truly worthy of a dive watch 💡