Cartier Santos Galbée 2319 - Limited Edition - Grey dial

CARTIER SANTOS GALBEE 2319 LIMITED EDITION
Steel | Grey dial

Origin

Once upon a time man dreamt of conquering the skies in imagined flying machines. It was during the early twentieth century that the Brazilian Alberto Santos-Dumont pioneered in aviation above Paris, the cradle of luxury Maison Cartier, founded in 1847 by jeweller Louis-Francois Cartier.

Grandson Louis Cartier crossed paths with Santos-Dumont in that era marked by invention and adventure. It didn’t take long before elegance reached new heights. As Santos-Dumont made his dreams come true, he was the first to fly in a powered airplane with his 14-biplane in Europe, his need of having his hands free for controls while flying was growing. A pocket watch – a long time fashion for European dandies – no longer served.

That is why he asked his friend Louis Cartier to design him a wristwatch: the world’s first pilot wristwatch – the Cartier Santos Dumont – was born in 1904, allowing ‘this man of action to tell the time more easily whilst in flight’. Aside from being the first pilot’s watch, the deployant buckle that Cartier developed for the Santos Dumont in 1909 was another first on the market. Until 1911 the legendary aviator had the privilege of being the only man wearing the innovative squared wristwatch.

But the Santos Dumont sparked interest ‘on ground’ as well – and soon became a very smart watch after its public launch, receiving astonishing recognition. Its successor, the Cartier Santos (1978), is without doubt among Cartier’s most legendary designs, with its importance resonating through in the Collection Privée Cartier Paris. Many style variations followed with different material choices according to the fashion of the time.

In 1978, the Santos has been revamped and was launched as the Santos Galbée. The watch case lost its boxy looks and became more curved, smoother and with a better fit on the wrist than the original Santos (galbée means curvy in French).

The Watch

This distinctive timepiece, the Cartier Santos Galbée 2319 Limited Edition, was created – further embroidering on the historical account of friendship, trailblazing and magnificent design – by Cartier in 2002 as a special edition. A contemporary watch, still today, with a purposeful design vibrating towards its past with strong Santos heritage such as the plate bezel with tiny screws.

The watch case in classic dimensions (29mm by 31mm, without lugs) carries a complementing characteristic ‘screwed’ bracelet, both entirely made out of stainless steel, giving the watch a powerful look and feel. It matches with the dark grey dial in a bewildering way, which has a clean aesthetic without a date window. As most Santos watch faces carry a white dial, this limited edition rocks the wrist with a bold twist and classic Roman numerals.

The Santos Galbée 2319 Limited Edition further spots crown guards with the signature blue sapphire cabochon on the crown and has ‘Cartier’ and ‘automatic’ printed on the dial.

The Movement

The Cartier Santos Galbée Limited Edition – with reference 2319 – is powered by an automatic movement, the Cartier 381A, based on the ETA 2000-1. 

If you desire to take a closer look at this precious timepiece, don't hesitate to contact us and make an appointment.