Watch of the Week: Santos de Cartier Skeleton “Noctambule”

In a relatively short period of time, Cartier has put itself forward as one of the experts when it comes to skeleton watches. Thanks to an innovative approach to this craft, the brand has been able to embed it in its DNA. One of the ways that they have been able to do this is by connecting it to another hallmark of them; the Roman numerals. By crafting the bridge and mainplate in their shape, and organizing the different parts of the movement in between them, the base for a very expressive watch is created in the process, especially when this movement is fitted in the case of the Santos de Cartier.

Cartier has always been quite a subtle brand and for the Santos de Cartier Skeleton “Noctambule” they take this even further, by coating the stainless steel case, crown, bezel and folding clasp with Amorphous Diamond-Like Carbon, or ADLC. This gives the watch a deep black color, which almost has a velvet appearance on some parts due to the exceptional finish that Cartier has applied to them. The great benefit is that this color is here to stay, as ADLC is much harder than, for example, PVD, which is more commonly used in watchmaking.

Cartier made the movement the same color, but that is not all. Next to the hands, do also the bridges have a black luminescent material applied to them. While nearly invisible in the daylight, at night it lights up, highlighting the unique design of the Santos de Cartier Skeleton “Noctambule”. While this seems like a small detail, it adds, in fact, a whole new dimension to the watch. Although it does have a practical use, it also has a certain fun factor to it, and due to the perfect execution by Cartier it does not feel like a gimmick.

Thanks to the redesigned bezel on this generation of the Santos de Cartier does it extend all the way to where the alligator strap begins. Combined with the traditional Cartier folding clasp does this make for a watch that not only looks good on the wrist but also wears very comfortable. That’s a good thing, because with such an expressive and cool piece as the Santos de Cartier Skeleton “Noctambule” that is exactly what you want to do the most!