The Santos de Cartier is where the replica wristwatch era began. Yes, there was another wristwatch introduced before this, but it was a one-off idea. The Santos watch from Cartier, originally designed to solve a real-life, functional problem, quickly rose to become the standard by which all other timepieces have followed.Here’s what Cartier has to say about the Santos collection on their website:

“The Santos de Cartier wristwatch is as modern today as when it was created by Louis Cartier more than a century ago. Its singular aesthetic marks a milestone in the House of Cartier's explorations of geometrical forms.”

“An exploration of form and function, precision and aesthetics, the Santos de Cartier watch marks the convergence of early Art Deco style, industrial design and metal architecture.”

On Sale For Price : $68.00

History

Louis Fran?ois Cartier was already a world famous jeweler at the dawn of the 20th century, who dominated of world of luxury among royalty, stars and celebrities. In fact, a Prince of Wales hailed Cartier as "Joaillier des Rois, Roi des Joailliers" (Jewelers to Kings, King of Jewelers).

The Santos watch was designed by Louis in 1904 for his friend Alberto Santos-Dumont. Alberto was a Brazilian pioneer aviator, who described the unreliability and impracticality of using pocket watches while piloting “flying machines”.

The genius of Louis resulted in a flat wristwatch with its distinctive square bezel. In addition, Cartier devised the case as a single piece, so the strap did not need to rely on lugs and attachment pins. From a practicality standpoint, this design was and is an amazingly elegant solution.

(BTW, if you’ve ever had a pin break on your watch when you were wearing it, you know what I’m talking about. I actually ‘killed’ one of my watches when the pin popped, and it dropped to the pavement, breaking into pieces.)

In 1910, Louis significantly advanced the usefulness and longevity of Santos timepieces once again, by creating and patenting a deployment-folding clasp. A century later, this clasp remains a trademark element in the Santos collection. And it’s another testament to his enduring creative genius.

The Santos de Cartier Watch Collections Today, there are four different sub-collections within the larger Santos de Cartier portfolio, the Santos Demoiselle, Santos Cartier Galbée, Santos-Dumont and Santos 100.

On Sale For Price :$76.00

As featured on the Cartier website, the Santos collection includes 75 different models for both men and women. Depending on the timepiece, there are quartz and automatic movement options to consider, along with several chronograph models. Within this extensive collection, Santos timepieces can be selected from metals including steel, gold, white gold, pink gold, titanium and platinum.

The point being, there appears to be a seemingly unlimited number of variables you can evaluate when deciding which Santos de Cartier timepiece is right for you. As mentioned earlier, the Santos de Cartier has a unique place in history as the first collection of wristwatches, with a design that’s stood the test of time.