About this watch

Cartier Santos Black ADLC Steel WSSA0039 — the Santos in stealth The Santos de Cartier has a longer history than almost any other wristwatch in production. In 1904, Louis Cartier granted the wish of the famous Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont: to be able to read the time while flying. The result — one of the first true wristwatches — established the Santos’s square case, exposed screws, and integrated bracelet as a template that has never needed reinvention. The WSSA0039 is what happens when that template is taken somewhere darker. The ADLC coating applied to the steel case and bezel creates a fully blacked-out execution of the large Santos — monochromatic, architectural, and more aggressive in presence than the standard steel version, while retaining the square geometry and exposed screw details that define the Santos identity. The black dial, black ADLC-coated case, black sword-shaped hands, and black synthetic spinel crown produce a watch that reads as one unified dark surface, with the exposed screws and the square silhouette doing all the visual work. It is the Santos for buyers who find the standard steel version too conventional. The ADLC coating — what it is and…