CARTIER SANTOS-DUMONT
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The story of the Santos-Dumont is pretty straightforward. On October 22, 1910 Jaeger filed the patent for a "polygonal watch and method of fixing the glass on said watch" and on March 17, 1911 he applied for the design of the Santos-Dumont wristwatch. The same year the first model is sold by Cartier Paris. These are the facts.
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But, Cartier claim the Santos-Dumont was created in 1904 for the aviator and socialite Alberto Santos-Dumont and was marketed from 1911. Firstly, there is no evidence of the creation of this watch in 1904. No sketch, no photo at the wrist of Santos-Dumont, no press article, or even the watch itself. Secondly, who can imagine that a watch created in 1904 and having caused a sensation according to Cartier, is sold only 7 years later? In fact, this date of 1904 magically appeared in 1978 at the launch of the modern Santos. The latter, Cartier's first steel sport watch, was thought to tackle Rolex... founded in 1905.
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