First released in 2004 to commemorate the Santos' 100th anniversary, the Santos 100 XL was designed with a thoroughly modern aesthetic in mind. Taking the original Santos' design and beefing it up to modern proportions to earn the “XL” moniker, the Santos 100 XL is a modernisation of one of Cartier’s best known watches. With its leather strap, the Santos 100 XL continues to remind us of the famous collection's humble beginnings while speaking to Cartier's refined aesthetic as a jeweller and their strength as an icon of design, with the Santos 100 XL Mysterieuse that we have here standing as a testament to that fact. Made of palladium and boasting a 42mm case, the Santos 100 XL Mysterieuse was launched as a limited edition of 40 pieces that took its inspiration from Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin, the famed French magician and clock-maker who created the first Mystery Clock in 1913. Featuring two glass discs that house its hands and form its off-center dial, the Mysterious is seemingly powered by nothing. However, each disc fits into the manual-wind cal. 81003S and is then turned by gears along the discs periphery. Combining unique execution through its unusual material and display with the modernized design of a classic, this is one timepiece that speaks to Cartier’s talents as a powerhouse of design.

A technically impressive timepiece that combines a unique display with an unsual material that we seldom see in watchmaking, the Santos 100XL Mysterieuse is a watch that doesn't need a seasoned Cartier collector to understand its importance.