O
nce upon a time, a pioneer in the field of
aviation, Alberto Santos-Dumont, found
himself at a crossroads. The year was 1904,
and whilst the pocket watch had served
him well thus far, Santos-Dumont now
craved the ownership of a timepiece that
would allow him the ease and efficiency of
reading it without ever having to remove
his hands from the yoke, and divert his attention from the flight. Courtesy of Cartier
– and Santos-Dumont’s craving – this budding need burst forth as the world’s first
ever wristwatch.
Over a century later, the dissemination
of technology – namely digital clocks
and mobile phones – into every crevice
of society has decimated the wristwatch’s
functional vitality but it still stands strong
as a symbol of power and prestige. Its persuasion is enduring. So much so, in fact,
that auction house Christie’s ‘Important
Watches’ sa