Alberto Santos-Dumont
Alberto Santos-Dumont (1873-1932) is one of the most notorious names within aviation and horology; heir to a wealthy coffee business, Dumont dedicated his life to the study of mechanics and engineering. Inventor, engineer and aeronaut, the Brazilian hero is attributed with creating the first-ever airships to be powered, one of which he used to fly about the Eiffel tower in 1901.
To propel a dirigible balloon through the air is like pushing a candle through a brick wall . – Alberto Santos-Dumont
Dumont had decisively devoted his life to aviation with his first successful flight; it was a high point (literally) that he’d gotten himself hooked on, yet the path towards successful flight was always a battle uphill. Confiding with his friend, Louis, Dumont ranted of the technicalities that came with his position. Pocket watches were the norm in a time when both hands were needed to steer an airship and it was not only dangerous to check the time, but wasteful. The prestigious Deutsch prize was almost wrested from Dumont’s hands on account of the additional minute it took to land his aircraft in 1901 and if not for public opinion, would have been taken from him altogether. The art of horology was anachronic, ironically enough, in an age where man was no longer entirely tethered to Earth.
Louis heeded Dumont’s words; Collaborating with another associate, Edmond, he created a simple watch in 1904 that could be worn on the wrist, saving Dumont valuable time in his future endeavours. This small anecdote is what this article is about today- how the small discussion between Louis Cartier and Alberto Santos-Dumont led to a collusion between the innovations of Cartier and Edmond Jaeger to create the first aviation watch, a model still famous and prestigious to this day. The Santos watch, from the house of Cartier.
An early Santos Cartier watch; this model was available from 1911, image courtesy of https://swisswatches-magazine.com/cartier-brand-portrait-a-tale-of-watchmaking-in-the-cartier-empire/
Dumont’s love of the watch quickly spread, due to his status as a notable aeronaut and also a Parisian socialite. Everyone wanted to know- what was that around his wrist?
It’s notable that until The Great War, wristwatches had been invented, but were seen as women’s wear. Slow introductions had been made to the men’s market, by brands such as Breitling or Patek Philippe, but Cartier’s Santos watch was the first model of watch to be produced on a large scale to the public, unrushed by war but for the pure love of both fashion and aviation. To this day, it remains the only watch by Cartier to have been named after an individual and keeps its status as a classic.
Alberto Santos-Dumont in 1907, aboard his aeroplane numbered ’15’. Image courtesy of https://www.thejewelleryeditor.com/images/alberto-santos-dumont-in-his-aeroplane/