Cartier Santos 2961

Founded in 1847, Cartier was originally a producer and designer just of fine jewelry, but they did not create their first wristwatch until 1904, when Louis Cartier designed a watch for a Brazilian pilot who was unhappy trying to handle and check his pocket watch while flying, Louis’ friend Alberto Santos-Dumont. The Cartier Santos became one of the most recognizable and iconic Cartier watch models. Initially, Cartier models incorporated movements made by other Swiss watch companies, Cartier also joined with Edward Jaeger to produce movements for Cartier timepieces.

The 1970s saw the introduction of new "luxury sport" watches (defined by high-end pieces made in stainless steel), highlighted by Gerald Genta's Audemar Piguet Royal Oak and Patek Philippe Nautilus. In the wake of these successes, Cartier turned to the Santos to capitalize on the new trend.

In 1978, Cartier redesigned and renamed it the Santos de Cartier, giving the watch an integrated bracelet instead of the traditional leather strap. Cartier made the case and bracelet out of stainless steel, a true change in course for the maison that had only worked with precious metals before this time. Cartier also added 18k gold to the case and bracelet to give the watch a touch of luxury. This "bimetal" gold-steel design would go on to be extremely popular in the 1980s (think Wall Street's Gordon Gecko), and, by the way, is making a bit of a comeback.