Cartier · Family: Santos-Dumont
The Cartier Santos-Dumont (ref. WSSA0022) revives the design of the 1904 watch Louis Cartier created for aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont, regarded as one of the first modern men's wristwatches. This steel version measures 43.5 x 31.4 mm. Cazador has no verified price observations yet for this reference. The differentiator: it runs a quartz movement with up to 6 years of battery autonomy, rather than the automatic movements common across the rest of the Santos catalogue.
Insufficient data
4 of 5 price observations needed to show a reliable range
Insufficient data: 4 price observations recorded as of today. Cazador does not estimate or infer a range without our own verified market data.
In 1904, Louis Cartier designed a wristwatch for his friend, Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont, so he could check the time without letting go of his aeroplane's controls — a gesture many historians consider the starting point of the modern men's wristwatch, at a time when pocket watches still dominated. The Santos-Dumont line revives that original design, with its own identity distinct from the sportier Santos de Cartier.
This WSSA0022 reference is the collection's 'large model', with an elongated rectangular case measuring 43.5 x 31.4mm and just 7.3mm thick. The polished steel bezel keeps the eight visible screws that have been the visual signature of the whole Santos family since its creation, while a solid caseback and sapphire crystal round out a restrained, refined construction.
The silvered dial, finished with a sunray satin effect, wears Roman numerals and blued sword hands — a classic Cartier colour contrast. The crown, topped with a synthetic blue spinel cabochon, is another distinctive Cartier detail found across much of its catalogue, from the Tank to the Pasha.
Unlike other Santos pieces with complications or mechanical movements, this reference runs a high-autonomy quartz calibre, with roughly 6 years of battery life — a choice that prioritises daily reliability over the mechanical gesture, and one that fits the formal, minimalist character of an hours-and-minutes-only dial with no seconds or date. It closes on a navy blue alligator strap with a steel ardillon buckle.
This is the 11th Cartier reference to join Cazador, alongside families like Santos de Cartier, Tank Française, Ballon Bleu de Cartier, Pasha de Cartier, Tank Must, Tank Louis Cartier, Tank Solo, Tank Américaine and Panthère de Cartier — and the first of the Santos-Dumont family, closer to the historic 1904 design than the integrated-bracelet Santos de Cartier line already in the catalogue.
Cazador has no verified price observations yet for this reference: we have 0 market records of our own as of today. We do not infer or estimate a range without real data behind it, so we would rather wait to gather verified transactions before publishing any figure.
The Santos-Dumont recreates the original 1904 design, with a flatter case, no integrated bracelet, and, on this reference, a quartz movement. The Santos de Cartier is a sportier evolution, with an integrated bracelet, a screwed bezel and typically an automatic movement, built for more versatile, contemporary everyday wear.
This particular reference prioritises autonomy and daily reliability with a high-duration quartz calibre, lasting roughly 6 years on a battery. Cartier also offers mechanical Santos-Dumont versions elsewhere in its catalogue, but this profile specifically documents the quartz variant of the large steel model.
It is rated to 3 bar, roughly 30 metres, enough for rain, the occasional splash or hand-washing, but not for swimming or diving. This is a dress watch built for formal daily wear and office use, not a water sport tool.
Alberto Santos-Dumont was a pioneering Brazilian aviator and a friend of Louis Cartier, who in 1904 designed him a wristwatch so he could check the time without letting go of his aeroplane's controls. That commission gave rise to the Santos line, and this reference specifically revives its original design.
This reference is the collection's 'large model', with an elongated rectangular case measuring 43.5 x 31.4 mm and 7.3 mm thick. Cartier also offers the Santos-Dumont in smaller sizes across its broader catalogue, but this profile specifically documents this large steel version.