Santos-Dumont “La Baladeuse” WGSA0027 The next watch is a tribute to Santos-Dumont’s ninth airship, La Baladeuse. At a time when automobiles were still a novelty, he created this motorised balloon, or dirigible, in 1903 to demonstrate its potential as a mode of transport. He routinely floated above the streets of Paris in La Baladeuse, using it as a means of personal transport. Limited to 300 pieces, the Santos-Dumont “La Baladeuse” is in yellow gold, perhaps the quintessential material for the model, but one that has been long absent. The last time Cartier had a yellow-gold Santos-Dumont in its catalogue was 2006. Perhaps the most striking iteration of the new editions, this pairs the yellow gold case with a champagne dial featuring printed, black numerals, which together offer a refreshing contrast against the blued hands and sapphire cabochon.