The Santos watch was conceived by Louis Cartier in 1904 to help aviators tell time when airborne. Since then, this pioneering timekeeper which was one of the first wristwatches in history, has become a true icon. Its signature features – the rounded square case, Roman numerals, square railroad minute track, sword-shaped hour and minute hands, and exposed bezel screws – have remained unchanged. 100 years after the Santos took to the skies for the first time, it has “touched down” with a GMT function at this year’s Watches and Wonders event.

Part of the Santos de Cartier collection revamped in 2018, the Cartier Santos de Cartier Dual Time is the first member of the watch family to receive a GMT complication, offering two time zones at a glance. Typical of the Santos de Cartier, the watch has a very elegant aura. The dial is a magnificent anthracite color with a silky sunray brushed finish. The Roman numerals and hands are in silver to stand out against the background. The date window, tone in tone with the overall color scheme, has been repositioned at 3 o’clock to make room for the dual time display at 6 o’clock. It has a light gray dial with black numerals and a day/night indicator in contrasting gray and white.
The stainless steel case measures 40.2mm in diameter, 47.5mm in length and is 10.1mm thick. It is mounted on a bracelet that can be easily exchanged for a color-coordinated alligator strap thanks to Cartier...