The French luxury jeweler keeps introducing skeletonized timepieces. The latest in the series is the hand-wound Cartier Santos Dumont Carbon Skeleton Titanium W2020052. Officially presented at the SIHH 2011, the watch features their signature “full skeleton” dial. From where I sit, it looks like a step in the right direction from their older attempts.
The Open-Worked Dial
Theis Santos Dumont Carbon Skeleton Titanium W2020052 continues the trend that started last year when the French brand unveiled its Rotonde de Cartier Flying Tourbillon Skeleton.
Like the 2010 model, this model also lacks any dial in the usual meaning of the word. What you can see through the sapphire front crystal, is just the base-plate of its in-house movement.
Cartier basically took the part and machined almost all metal out of it to the point that one could see their own wrist hair behind the timekeeper’s sapphire back.
Even the stylized Roman numerals are skeletonized bridges of the Cartier 9612 MC hand-wound movement.
The Legibility
Still, given its styling, I would say that this open-worked W2020052 is fairly easy to read, at least when the lighting is good.
Crafted from polished and rhodium-plated brass, the hours and minutes indicators are wide enough for you to not be confused when there is a need to check the time in a hurry.
As usual, I subtract a whole point from the final legibility rating. Not only because of all the open-working and blacking-out, but mostly because the dial lacks a single drop of Superluminova.
Well, it is at least a whole 3 out of 5.
The Cartier Caliber 9612 MC
The manufacture-made caliber is so extensively skeletonized, that the gear train, as well as the mainspring barrel, seem to float in thin air. Removing so much metal from the chassis is an difficult task to accomplish when you have to preserve its structural rigidity.
The movement is uses 20 rubies and comprises 138 parts, but that’s obviously not very important to most of us. What is important that it offers at least 72 hours of continuous operation when fully wound.
Like the elegant titanium body, the movement is subjected to ADLC treatment. The coating is essentially a more flexible and scratch-resistant version of the “traditional” DLC coating. It looks like an overkill, but, lets be honest: the whole watch is an overkill.
On the other hand, when you are buying a $50,000 piece of art like this one, you never have too much protection, especially if you, like me, tend to run into things while in a hurry.
The Case
The titanium case is deliberately simple. It is simply a frame that has to be as discreet as possible to not draw attention from the beautiful dial.
At 47 millimeters in length and 39 mm in width, it sounds enormous on paper, but that’s just how Cartier prefers to measure some of their watches. The 47mm includes the pair of rather long integrated lugs, so in reality, this beast is not larger than an average dress watch.
Thanks to its hand-wound mechanism, the case is also relatively thin, so wearing it with a suit will never be a problem.
Another good thing about this timepiece’s design is, of course, the girth of its nut-shaped crown. It will be easy to operate even if you have relatively big hands. The way the side of the body is machined-out makes a great pair of “natural” crown guards that help to protect the delicate mechanism from some shocks.
WWR’s Final Rating
Originality 5/5
Versatility: 3/5
Build Quality: 5/5
Ergonomics: 4.5/5
Overall Legibility: 3/5
Nighttime Legibility: 1/5 (not included in the final rating)
Overall Rating: 4/5
Photos: Cartier
Cartier Santos Dumont Carbon Skeleton Titanium W2020052 specification
Price: $50,000
Movement: Cartier Caliber 9612 MC, 138 components, in-house, Swiss Made
Caliber size: 28.60 mm x 28.60 mm in width, 3.97 mm in height
Winding: Hand-wound
Cadence of balance: 28,800 vph
Number of jewels: 20
Functions: Hours, minutes
Power reserve: 72 hours (3 days)
Case: Titanium with ADLC (Amorphous Diamond-Like Carbon) coating
Shape: Cushion
Dimensions: 47.00 mm x 39.00 mm
Front crystal: Sapphire
Back: Sapphire
Dial: Skeletonized
Numerals: Roman
Hands: Sword-shaped, rhodium-plated brass
Water resistance: 30 meters
Strap: Alligator skin with double adjustable deployant buckle in 18-karat white gold