Insider: Cartier Santos-Dumont Rewind. The Watch That Goes Back in Time.
Now that we can spend real quality time talking about the new limited edition Cartier Santos-Dumont Rewind ref. WGSA0102, it’s time to bring you our hands-on review of this new watch. This new watch beautifully honors the timeless design conceived by Louis Cartier in 1904 for aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont. This exquisite 200-piece limited edition timepiece boasts an elegant square case meticulously crafted from luxurious platinum, a carnelian stone dial, and complemented by a captivating red ruby cabochon crown. The burgundy red dial's understated yet sophisticated allure is enhanced by striking Breguet-shaped hands, the traditional Chemin de Fer minute track on the periphery of the dial, and bold applied Roman numerals —that in the case of this watch— which are applied in reverse order as the watch goes back in time, unlike a normal watch.
Carnelian stone is a brownish-red semiprecious stone from silica colored by impurities of iron oxide which give it a unique reddish hue that can vary greatly, ranging from pale orange to an intense almost garnet coloration. Because of this, there will be now identical watch in this 200-piece limited edition.
With the Santos-Dumont Rewind, the hour and minute hands hold no power over us, as we navigate through life guided by our intuition and desires rather than rigid schedules or by looking at the watch on our wrists. The freedom of disregarding time allows us to fully immerse ourselves in the present moment, savoring each experience without the constraints of minutes and hours. In this timeless existence of the Santos-Dumont Rewind watch, we find a profound sense of liberation and connection to the world around us, unburdened by the constant pressure to keep pace with the hands of the watch.
Things to Know About the Watch
The new Cartier Santos-Dumont Rewind is cased in platinum with a case measuring 31.5mm in diameter, 43.5mm diagonally from lug to lug, and very slim at 7.3mm in thickness —the large case size for the matter in this collection. Epitomizing the essence of this very original creation, it takes time to get used to the hands moving counterclockwise instead of clockwise as in any regular timepiece.
The Santos-Dumont Rewind makes time feel like time is slipping through your fingers like sand, its elusive nature leaves the premise of keeping time clocks and watches obsolete in our current world. Even though the Roman numerals have been applied in reverse order as the hands move in the opposite direction to that of a normal watch, it is somewhat challenging to read the time. It is very hard to have your brain adapt to a new way of reading time.
Turning the case over reveals a solid case back with Santos-Dumont's signed case and the individual number for the watch within this limited edition. Inside the beating heart powering this watch is the manual-wound calibre 230 MC with a 38-hour power reserve while beating at a frequency of 21,600 vph.
On the Wrist & Price
On the wrist, the Cartier Santos-Dumont Rewind ref. WGSA0102 wears true to its size and simply exquisitely. Infusing a harmonious blend of historical significance and contemporary aesthetics along with a very unique way of telling time, the Santos-Dumont Rewind emerges as a refined and enduring horological masterpiece that is destined to elevate any discerning collector's repertoire.
Sticker Price USD 38,400. For more info on Cartier click here.