The Cartier Santos watch was first created as a one-off for celebrated aviation pioneer Alberto Santos-Dumont. The Brazilian bon vivant and adventurer specialized in dirigibles, and he is also acknowledged as among the very first to pilot a heavier-than-air machine. In 1901 Santos-Dumont became a household name when he flew a powered dirigible around the Eiffel Tower. Such was his obsession with flight that he was known for giving "aerial dinners," for which he had a set of table and chairs made to elevate guests six feet off the ground.

In 1904, Louis Cartier, the grandson of the Maison's original founder, created a watch engineered for his aviator friend's way of life. Instead of fumbling for a pocket watch—then the norm—Santos-Dumont could glance at his wrist to track flight time witho

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