![]() ![]() Right from the Tonneau to the Tortue and perhaps the most iconic form watch of all, the Tank, Louis Cartier’s unusual and elaborate case designs sealed the status of the wristwatch as one of the most defining accessories in the postwar era. The evolution of the pocket watch gradually turned into a revolution by the Second World War, and after the wars, watchmakers clubbed utility with style, giving birth to timepieces used for diving, hiking, racing and hunting, among other adventures.īuoyed by the success of the Santos, Louis Cartier was now getting more playful with his watch designs. Two years into the First World War, the telephone and signal service made the wearing of watches obligatory. ![]() Paired with rich velvet gowns and jewelled slippers, these timepieces helped women keep a subtle check on the passing hours when in the company of men, who believed it was rude for ladies to enquire about time at social dos.Īll this began to change as soldiers jerry-rigged pocket watches and strapped them on their wrists for synchronised artillery attacks. Concealed within sparkling diamond brooches, snuff boxes and long sautoir necklaces, secret watches were a rage in the 19th century. Until the First World War, wristwatches or wristlets were largely a woman’s accoutrement. By 1911, Cartier had bestowed the name, “Santos-Dumont,” upon its super successful watch, which was now a full production model available in platinum and yellow gold in a 25mm × 35mm case. Inspired by the silhouette of the Eiffel Tower, the original Santos was a unique piece made for the Brazilian aviator in 1904. In an era largely dominated by round pocket watches, Louis Cartier had presented a rather futuristic timepiece in a square case with rounded corners and a bold bezel with eight exposed screws. It was the world’s first pilot’s watch and also the first square watch meant to be worn on the wrist. While wristlets or bracelets with watches had started creeping into women’s wardrobe as early as the 18th century, the Cartier Santos was recognised as the first real wristwatch for men. “The Cartier Santos was the first wristwatch of the modern age designed specifically to be worn on the wrist rather than being adapted for wear on the wrist,” says renowned author, historian and watch expert Nicholas Foulkes. On one such occasion, he brought up the timing quagmire to his equally enterprising and ingenious friend Louis Cartier, who then designed a robust, no-frills watch with leather strap for Santos-Dumont’s air expeditions. The man nearly lost the Deutsch de la Meurthe contest and the prize money of 100,000 French francs all because he couldn’t keep time while piloting this journey.įamous for his spirited air trips, impeccable fashion sense and design sensibilities, Santos-Dumont would often socialise with the likes of the Cartiers and the Roosevelts. That autumn afternoon in 1901, as Santos-Dumont set off to be the first man to complete an aerial circuit from the Aéro-Club de France to the Eiffel Tower and back in under 30 minutes, he realised the futility of a pocket watch for aviators. During the day, he’d fly to go shopping, he’d fly to visit friends,” recounts Paul Hoffman in his Santos-Dumont biography, Wings of Madness. “Every night, he would fly this dirigible to Maxim’s for dinner. He would hop onto his airship and casually land on rooftop bars and restaurants, impressing the city’s fashionable set like no one else. In fact, he was the only person in Paris with a little flying machine tied to a lamp post in front of his apartment at the Champs-Élysées. ![]() On a balmy October afternoon in 1901, as the dashing aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont took off into the Parisian skies in a yellow airship, little did he know that his adventure would eventually mould the history of the wristwatch as we know it today.ĭeeply influenced by the rapid mechanical innovations in the early 20th century, Santos-Dumont would often toy around with hot air balloons and motor-powered dirigibles.
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