Cartier’s Santos-Dumont Gains a Fine Mesh-Link Bracelet
Cartier’s debuts at Watches & Wonders 2026 include notable crowd pleasers, with a standout being the Santos-Dumont LM with a mesh-link bracelet in matching precious metal. Inspired by watch bracelets of the 1920s, the new bracelet is 15 links across with each link just 1.15 mm high, making it supple and ergonomic. Very much catering to fad for such bracelets, it is also removable and sports a double-folding clasp. The new Santos-Dumont models themselves are cosmetic variations of the existing model, with the most unusual being the yellow gold version with a dial of obsidian, which is volanic glass. Initial thoughts The new Santos-Dumont pairs the familiar square watch with an appropriately retro mesh-link bracelet that fits the design perfectly. Like the Les Opus trio, this Santos-Dumont trio isn’t imaginative or novel, but it is executed well and has tactile appeal. Both the clasp and flush-fit end links that continue the link pattern are a pleasing touch. In some ways the bracelet is perhaps more fitting for the model given its history as an aviator’s watch, although the Santos-Dumont now is very much a dress watch in the modern sense of the term. The commercial success of 2023’s Tank Normale with a bracelet probably helped convince Cartier that such bracelets are a winner, despite the substantial cost of a precious metal bracelet today. That said, the new Santos-Dumont on a bracelet is pricey but not outrageously so. It starts at €44,400 in yellow gold and ris...
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