Cartier

SJX
[Purist]
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Cartier Santos Dumont skeleton owner interview no. 2 - CS Tan

A few weeks ago I posted an interview with samwan, a sophisticated collector well known on this forum, who also happens to own the Santos Dumont Skeleton in white gold. As I mentioned in that post, that will be the first in a series of owner interviews.

The Santos Dumont on CS' wrist

The second Santos Dumont skeleton owner interview features CS Tan, who is located in Singapore. CS bought his watch in early 2011 and posted the purchase on the forum shortly after.

CS answers the exact same set of questions as Sam Wan. There are many similarities in the two interviews, CS also first saw the Santos Dumont Skeleton at a Cartier dinner for instance, but also subtle differences.

- SJX

Why did you decide to buy this watch?

I was captivated by the design of the watch the moment I saw it at a Cartier [Fine Watchmaking] dinner and put it on my wrist. It was literally love at first sight. I had neither a skeleton watch nor a square cased watch in my small collection, so I convinced myself that I just needed to own it.

What is its greatest appeal?

The clever use of the base plate and bridges of the movement to form the Roman numeral indices on the dial (Editor’s note: this has been patented by Cartier), while preserving the integrity of the Santos design. In short, the overall aesthetics of the dial attracted me.

What is its biggest shortcoming?

A major shortcoming to me is that so far, I have not seen any photo that could do justice to the visual attractiveness and appeal of the actual watch. No offence to fellow collectors with excellent photography skills, including SJX. In addition, while I like the mirror polish of the bezel, it also easily attracts scratches.

What were the alternatives or competitors when you made your purchase?

I did not compare the Santos-Dumont skeleton to any other watch when I decided to buy it. It shouted out to me, and there was no alternative. Well, actually there was one – the Santos 100 skeleton [in palladium], which was too chunky for my wrist.

What made you choose the Cartier over the alternatives?

Can I respond with "not applicable"? I really did not consider any alternative, and it fits well into my collection in terms of diversity.

What are your other favourite watches from the Cartier Fine Watchmaking range?

I like the Rotonde Astrotourbillon and Calibre de Cartier Multi Time Zone, but they are a tad big for my wrist.

What would you like to see from Cartier Fine Watchmaking in the future?

I am still looking to acquire a simple time-only watch with a nice enamel dial, so I would look forward to such an offering from Cartier.

Thank you!