In the jewelry business, we often talk about signature pieces. The term took on a different meaning last week when football pro Travis Kelce—fiancé of Taylor Swift—wore a very notable timepiece, Santos de Cartier Skeleton, to put his signature on a $54.735 million three-year contract extension with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Kelce didn’t go for the oversize, diamond-encrusted chronographs that have long been NFL players’ unofficial uniform. Instead, he sported a Cartier watch that is, quite literally, transparent.
The $77,000 Santos Skeleton is a bit of an industry darling right now. It features the caliber 9611 MC, where the bridges are carved into Roman numerals—a clever bit of engineering that turns the movement into the aesthetic. It’s a sophisticated “flex,” so to speak, suggesting a buyer who isn’t looking just for carats but for craft, too.
Of course you can’t talk about Kelce without mentioning his better half. Swift has been a visible fan of the Santos line herself, recently spotted with a vintage Santos Demoiselle. Whether she and Kelce coordinate their looks (couples who wear watches together stay together?) or just share an affinity for French luxury, the result for Cartier is capturing the most watched wrists in the world. The Taylor effect remains a full force in retail.
As the industry grapples with a bifurcated market—where the middle class is pulling back but the high end is resilient—Kelce’s watch reminds us that for those at the top, the appetite for quiet (or at least skeletonized) luxury remains strong. It’s a good sign for the trade, even if most of us are still waiting for our own big payday.
Top: Tight end Travis Kelce signs a new contract with the Kansas City Chiefs with a Cartier Santos Skeleton watch on his arm. (Photo via @chiefs)
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