Hamilton Rose gold

The best for $24,000: Chrono24 is kicking off a new series, as each of our contributors takes you on a journey through their perfect watch collection. These are their personal favorites, and who knows? Maybe your next favorite is on the list too!

It’s not uncommon for the word “legend” to come up now and again when you’re talking about watches. And if there’s one watch that’s earned that adjective, it’s the Cartier Santos. The timepiece not only brings with it more than a century of backstory, it was also the world’s first real wristwatch. Originally created in 1904 for aviation pioneer Alberto Santos-Dumont, who needed a watch he could read easily while piloting a plane. Cartier decided to design a watch with integrated lugs, that could be worn on the wrist. To give the watch a bit of umph, Cartier made it square – a shape uncommon for pocket watches at the time.