Cartier Santos Dumont Skeleton

The Tank isn’t the only prominent wristwatch from luxury powerhouse Cartier. 

Predating the Tank Louis by nearly two decades, the original Santos model was designed in 1904, and has seen any number of iterations in the past century — including a brilliant revival in recent years. Available in quartz, hand-wound and automatic varieties in different metals and configurations, it’s an important historical model and one of the maison’s finest creations. 

Although not a part of Cartier’s savoir faire, skeletonized timepieces have made a regular appearance within the maison’s contemporary catalog since 2009 when they released the Santos 100. Since then, these openworked beauties have evolved into mechanical works of art — coupled with Cartier’s signature case silhouettes — these pieces have become widely adored and collected.

This piece, a Reference WHSA0032, released in 2023 and features a 31mm stainless steel case with a polished bezel and exposed screws, as well as the ubiquitous cabochon crown with an onyx inset. At just 8mm in case thickness coupled with its compact blueprint, this piece melts on the wrist. Considering its svelte stature and fetching aesthetics, it surprisingly features 30 meters of water resistance which is quite substantial for a timepiece of this caliber.

The sapphire dial is a window into Cartier's self-winding Calibre 9626 MC. It cleverly incorporates the La Demoiselle, a series of lightweight planes designed by Alberto Santos-Dumont himself, as a micro-rotor positioned at 8 o'clock. Its suspended movement frame cleverly becomes a display for the hour incides and dial outline.

Paired to a signed, black alligator leather strap with an Ardillon pin buckle, this piece is accompanied by all of its factory ephemera including its complete inner and outer box set, books, warranty card, and an additional leather strap.

There's something quite unexpected and refreshing about a skelteonized Santos that we just can't seem to ignore.

Come in and to experience what we're talking about, today!

Despite being a purveyor of haute joaillerie, Cartier has had a long tradition of making watches.
It started in 1907, when founder Louis Cartier made what was one of the first wristwatches for his friend Alberto Santos-Dumont. In the following years, the brand made a name for itself with its most famous wristwatch, the Tank, in all its multitudinous forms.

Cartier introduced the Tank in 1917 — which was supposedly inspired by the Renault FT-17 tanks seen on the battlefields of World War I — with a run of six pieces. (According to legend, these were given to American General John J. Pershing and his staff.) Cartier took the look of the Renault tank's treads and applied it to the watch’s lugs, which were integrated via brancards into the case itself. That first run of six pieces increased to thirty-three by 1920, and by the end of the 20th Century, that number stood well in the hundreds of thousands. Indeed, in sheer volume alone, the Tank — in all its various models — is Cartier's largest line of watches.

The Tank Louis was introduced in 1922, followed close on the heels of the Asian-influenced Tank Chinoise. The Chinoise, released amidst a mania for jewelry inspired by the Orient, has a square rather than rectangular case and lugs that resemble the portico of a Chinese pagoda.

From its debut, the Tank would see many variations, each in keeping with Louis Cartier’s taste for clean lines and perfect symmetry. Each variant — from the original Tank to the Tank Louis to the Cintrée with its flirtatious, curvaceous lines — has its passionate devotees. Rudolph Valentino, that sensual star of the silver screen, insisted on wearing his Tank onscreen in The Son of the Sheik, and Clark Gable, Andy Warhol, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis were among those who sported a one throughout the years.

Other model lines, including the Santos (based upon the original model crafted for Alberto Santos-Dumont) and the Pasha, have developed devoted followers. Indeed, the maison is unique as one of the few jewelry brands to elicit as much passion from collectors as dedicated watch companies.

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Analog:Shift stands behind the authenticity of our products in perpetuity.

Condition

Since our pieces are vintage or pre-owned, please expect wear & patina from usage and age. Please read each item description and examine all product images.

Warranty

We back each Analog:Shift vintage timepiece with a one-year mechanical warranty from the date of purchase.

International Buyers

Please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.

All of our watches include complementary insured shipping within the 50 states.

Most of our products are on hand and will ship directly from our headquarters in New York City. In some cases, watches will be shipped directly from one of our authorized partners.

We generally ship our products via FedEx, fully insured, within 5 business days of purchase. An adult signature is required for receipt of all packages for insurance purposes. Expedited shipping is available at an additional cost. We are also happy to hand deliver your purchase in Manhattan or you may pick it up at our showroom.

Returns must be sent overnight or by priority international delivery, fully insured and paid for by the customer. A restocking fee may apply. Watches must be returned in the same condition as initially shipped.

We welcome international buyers, please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.