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Readtime: 8 min
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Welcome back to The Wind Up! This is Man of Many’s weekly watch wrap, where I share my thoughts on a hand-picked selection of horological encounters, events, and developments from the last seven days. Once again, I’m Rob, one of Man of Many’s watch tragics, and it’s a pleasure to be with you once again.
This week, we start by looking at what it’s like to wear one of the 18K yellow gold Santos-Dumont triumphs that Cartier debuted at Watches and Wonders 2026. While much fuss was made of the obsidian-dialled effort at the time (with good reason), the silver-dialled model is the one for me, and it’s my privilege to share what it’s like to experience this beauty on the wrist. In addition, below you’ll find my thoughts on the latest Moonswatch, the biggest collection of Rado watches in Australia, and the intricacies of A. Lange & Söhne-endorsed engraving.
As always, there’s no time like the present and not a second to waste, so let’s dive into another instalment of Man of Many’s The Wind Up.
On the Wrist: Cartier Santos-Dumont in 18K Yellow Gold
For Cartier, 2026 was a particularly eventful year at Watches and Wonders, even by the maison’s own predictably lofty standards. Since returning from my visit to the convention in Geneva back in April, I’ve spent an almost embarrassing amount of time thinking about one of the Santos-Dumont releases that sat at the heart of the maison’s releases.
As mentioned above, much fuss was made at the launch of the hero Santos-Dumont reference, with its dial made of gilded obsidian. Through an elite gem-cutting process, this Mexican volcanic stone would ultimately possess a glass-like quality, measuring in at just 0.3 mm in thickness. And yet, despite all this artistry, skill, and ingenuity, I simply couldn’t look past its silver-dialled counterpart.
It all comes down to taste, which can be a funny thing. While the obsidian model is certainly the bigger flex of the two, and to my eyes looks more ostentatious than even its pricier platinum sibling, the combination of this watch’s gold case and bracelet with its silver dial strikes a perfect balance for me. It’s incredibly luxurious, but in a classic way, looking like it comes from a time decades before people even knew what the word “flex” meant, unless you were talking about the gym.
For me, it’s a perfect watch dial. Elegant, luxurious, and iconic, yet measured and highly legible, if you want to consider this piece of elevated horology from a more practical point of view.
The less flamboyant dial also allows for the other star of this show to enjoy the spotlight unimpeded: that impossibly gorgeous mesh bracelet. To wear it is to love it, and with 394 links measuring just 1.15 mm thick each across 15 rows, it’s like liquid as it rolls across your wrist. The softness of touch is difficult to describe without devolving further into hyperbole, but crucially, it doesn’t feel like metal. It’s so light and seemingly mouldable that each link recalls some kind of flexible polymer, rather than an expertly crafted piece of metal.
That said, it is metal, with each link machined, finished, and assembled in-house before being attached to the case and clasp. The result? Perhaps the most comfortable metal bracelet ever constructed, certainly the most comfortable I’ve ever encountered.
Pairing that comfort with the precious 18K yellow gold of its case and bracelet, as well as the classic styling of its silver dial, this is, for me, a perfect watch and one of the most unforgettable I’ve ever been fortunate enough to wrap around my wrist.
Cartier Santos Dumont in 18K Yellow Gold Key Specs:
- Reference: WGSA0122
- Case: Yellow gold
- Dimensions: 43.5 mm x 31.4 mm
- Thickness: 7.3 mm
- Water resistance: 30 metres
- Dial: Silvered satin-finish with sunray effect
- Crown: Blue
- Bracelet: Yellow gold interchangeable bracelet
- Movement: Manufacture mechanical movement with manual winding 430 MC
- Price: USD$49,300
Swatch x OMEGA Goes for Gold
I have to confess that I’ve found the whole MoonSwatch shtick getting tired of late. After so many releases, there’s no way the collaboration between Swatch and OMEGA could recapture the hype of that initial launch and tempt me to fork out for a new plasticised (sorry, bioceramic) take on the Moonwatch.
Or so I thought. Then they dropped this banger in tribute to the 1969 Apollo II mission, and I’m totally on board. It’s the first release since the line’s debut back in March 2022 that I’m genuinely interested in purchasing, so I’ve entered the lottery to do so.
Lottery, you say? Yes, indeed. The watch can only be acquired via an approved Electronic Swatch Timepiece Application (an ESTA, in a nod to the USA’s Electronic System for Travel Authorisation). This is due to the release being no ordinary MoonSwatch. It uses 11 grams of OMEGA’s 18K Moonshine Gold across the dial, hands, crown, and pushers, which is actually worth more than the asking price of the watch. As such, demand is high, which is to be expected whenever iconic watchmakers sell a new piece at a loss.
In order to minimise said loss while simultaneously maximising the viral marketing bang for their buck, the new watch will be limited to just 1969 pieces. Plus, the gold has been made by melting down OMEGA spare parts dating back to 1969. And in a final tribute, the design nods to the gold Speedmaster OMEGA created to celebrate Apollo 11’s success.
Will I score one to call my very own? Probably not, but with half the Man of Many office apparently having entered to secure an ESTA, we can hope at least one will make its way through our doors.
Swatch x OMEGA MISSION TO THE MOON 1969 MoonSwatch Key Specs:
- Reference: SSX01B700
- Edition: 1,969 individually numbered pieces
- Case: Matte black Bioceramic
- Diameter: 42mm
- Thickness: 13.25mm
- Lug-to-lug: 47.30mm
- Dial: OMEGA 18K Moonshine Gold
- Gold components: Dial, hour and minute hands, crown and pushers
- Gold weight: 11 grams of 18K Moonshine Gold alloy
- Estimated pure-gold content: Approximately 8.25 grams
- Movement: Quartz chronograph
- Bezel: Black bioceramic with gold-coloured tachymeter scale
- Crystal: Box-shaped biosourced material with anti-scratch coating
- Water resistance: 30 metres
- Strap: Black rubber with Velcro closure and gold-coloured lining
- Purchase method: Approved Electronic Swatch Timepiece Application
- Application deadline: 7:59am AEST on 22 July 2026
- Price: AUD$900
New Melbourne Boutique Beckons Australian Rado Fans
Aussie Rado fans had reason to rejoice this week, with the launch of the Swiss watchmaker’s first boutique Down Under. Nestled in the heart of Melbourne’s luxury retail precinct, the new destination for Rado devotees can be found at 298 Collins Street and boasts the country’s largest collection of Rado watches.
From the latest releases of the famed Captain Cook collection to rare pieces like the trio of DiaStar Original Skeleton Limited Edition (only 555 are available of each incarnation: red, blue, and green), if there’s a Rado watch you’ve had your eye on, there’s no better place to start your journey than with our nation’s inaugural Rado boutique.
Plus, if you’re unfamiliar with the brand, dropping by would be the perfect way to remedy this. I’m sure the staff will be more than happy to enlighten you as to why the brand has been labelled “the Master of Materials”.
Learning to Engrave with A. Lange & Söhne
The final inclusion in this week’s The Wind Up falls to the undisputed highlight of my last seven days: exploring the art of engraving with the good folk at A. Lange & Söhne, a brand I’ve long admired that’s fast becoming a contender for the top spot in my affections. Arriving at the maison’s boutique on King Street in Sydney and heading to the elegantly appointed space upstairs, I was met by one of the brand’s highly skilled engravers (the superbly named Rob), who has been honing his craft with A. Lange & Söhne for seven years.
Sitting down at a table with a setup that included a headband magnifier, engraving tool, pencil for sketching out my vision and an eraser for when I inevitably screwed said vision up, I soon turned my attention to the upsized watch component before me. Just as well it was upsized (the real thing would offer about half the surface area), because I clearly do not have a gift when it comes to engraving – the rudimentary “R” and “E” alongside a clumsy floral motif speak to that.
However, what I do have is a newfound appreciation for the sheer skill of those who appoint A. Lange & Söhne’s intricate timepieces with such extraordinary decoration. So, Rob, I take my hat off to you and your uncanny knack for transforming tiny pieces of metal into a broad canvas upon which you can express your immense artistry.
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