Luxury watches and Karnataka politics have crossed paths once again. Several years after the now-infamous Hublot storm, a fresh timepiece is drawing attention to Siddaramaiah, Chief Minister of Karnataka, a leader who has long cultivated a socialist image.
During a breakfast meeting yesterday, both Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar were seen sporting Cartier watches, though the spotlight has unsurprisingly settled on the Chief Minister's wrist.
The model? A large Santos de Cartier in solid rose gold. The price? Rs 43 lakh 20 thousand.
Notably, India's Cabinet Minister of Food Processing Industries, Chirag Paswan, was seen wearing a Cartier Santos during his meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a few weeks ago (a cheaper model).
What Exactly Is This Watch
The Santos de Cartier worn by Siddaramaiah belongs to the uppermost tier of the Santos collection. Crafted entirely in 18K rose (pink) gold, both the case and the integrated bracelet feature exposed screws that mirror the industrial aesthetic of the original 1904 Santos design.
The watch houses Cartier's calibre 1847 MC, a self-winding mechanical movement that powers hours, minutes, central seconds and a date window sitting neatly at 6 o'clock.
The dial is silvered white with bold black Roman numerals, a railway-style minute track and signature blued sword-shaped hands. A blue cabochon set into the crown adds one more classic Cartier hallmark.
The Size, Comfort And Politics
Despite its imposing presence, the watch is not overwhelmingly bulky. With a case width of roughly 39.8 mm and a thickness of about 9 mm, it offers a sizeable look without compromising wearability. It is water-resistant up to about 100 metres, which makes it sturdy enough for everyday use including light swimming.
The full-gold bracelet sits flat and is designed for comfort while maintaining a powerful visual punch. While many contemporary Santos models feature easy bracelet adjustment systems like QuickSwitch and SmartLink, the configuration shown here appears to be purely on bracelet. Full-gold large Santos variants sometimes allow pairing with a leather strap, but that doesn't seem to be the case with the piece Siddaramaiah wore.
The Santos line is rooted in heritage. Louis Cartier designed it in 1904 for Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont, often cited as one of the first purpose-built men's wristwatches. Today, in India, a full-gold large Santos is positioned at the summit of Cartier's offering, with pricing firmly in the multi-million-rupee bracket. In other words: it is not an entry point to the brand; it is a definitive luxury statement.
History Repeats
This is not Siddaramaiah's first brush with watch-related controversy. In 2016, his Hublot wristwatch triggered a political storm when opponents alleged that the limited-edition, diamond-studded model cost anywhere between Rs 50-70 lakh. The incident snowballed into a full-blown debate about whether a "politician who projects himself as a voice of the poor should wear such a lavish accessory".
Opposition leaders circulated photos and videos of the Hublot, questioning whether it had been properly declared as an asset and whether its acquisition violated rules under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The uproar ran for weeks.
Initially dismissive of the furore, Siddaramaiah later clarified that the Hublot was a second-hand gift from an old NRI friend, Dubai-based cardiac surgeon Dr Girish Chandra Varma, and that its original value was significantly lower than the figures being quoted.