Maison Cartier presents the Santos-Dumont watch

The objective: to elevate the refined and understated design of the iconic Santos-Dumont watch. Rising to the challenge was Cartier Manufacture, which inaugurated a new, specially developed 9629 MC skeleton automatic calibre in 2023.

Faithful to the elegance of the original 1904 model whose heritage it maintains — gold or steel casing, exposed screws, beaded winding and blue cabochon — the latest Santos-Dumont watch reinterpreted in 2019 features, for the first time, a skeleton movement whose architectural details pay tribute to the aviator. Inventive and narrative-driven, this movement incorporates a miniature oscillating weight designed as a replica of the Demoiselle, a precursor aircraft designed by the pilot in 1907. The symbol is all the more significant in that it appears to fly over a globe. This aesthetic and technical tribute to Alberto Santos-Dumont is an achievement designed to equal his own — the man who saw further, designed more than 22 flying machines, filed numerous invention patents and risked his life with each experimental flight. This new micro-rotor calibre includes 212 components and took nearly two years to develop at the Cartier Manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Available in rose gold and steel, the Santos-Dumont Skeleton watch takes refinement to a whole new level with its limited-edition version in yellow gold and navy lacquer. Its details, bezel and case are all lacquered – including the skeleton bridges onto which the lacquer is delicately applied by hand.