Worn & Wound
Cartier Introduces a New Santos in Titanium (and a Cool Steel Reference with Lume)
When the topic of Cartier comes up, usually it’s in the context of a discussion of their beautiful, design oriented dress watches. We all know what we’re talking about here: shaped cases, precious metals, exotic gem set jewelry pieces. This is Cartier’s stock-in-trade, and watch for watch there’s probably no brand on the planet better at making those kinds of watches. But if you look through Cartier’s history, there are plenty of oddball creations that don’t fit neatly into the dress watch narrative. True sports watches are rare (RIP, Calibre de Cartier divers) but there are many notable releases from recent years that run right up to the edge of a sportier category. The Drive de Cartier (also discontinued) was an explicit attempt to make a “men’s” watch that was quite elegant but also larger and could easily read as more casual. The Cartier Roadster collection is another example of a line that viewed sporty/casual styles through a uniquely Cartier lens. And, of course, the Santos has existed for many years in oversized and complicated variants (not to mention black coated examples) that fit nicely into this niche. And last week, Cartier announced yet another new Santos that might, in its way, be among Cartier’s sportiest watches ever, thanks to the material used as well as the finish chosen. The new Santos de Cartier in titanium features a bead blasted titanium case and bracelet, and comes in the larger Santos case size, measuring 39.8mm × 9.3mm. Ac...
