• Free worldwide delivery

Cartier set the template for every modern wristwatch with the introduction of the Santos Dumont in 1904. The iconic design is every bit as revolutionary today as it was over a hundred years ago. Men used to wear rather large pocket watches until Louis Cartier introduced the Santos in 1904 as the first purposely designed men’s wrist watch. The Santos was not only pioneering for completely reimagining the way we interact with our timepieces, but also introduced a revolutionary aesthetic. The pocket watches that preceded it and many wrist watches that followed it were round with fluid details. The Santos, in contrast, had a strong and utilitarian aesthetic, with a square case and visible screws on the bezel. These design elements would be reintroduced almost 70 years later by Gerald Genta in the Royal Oak. The Santos has remained a staple in Cartier’s collection ever since its introduction more than a century ago. This elegant piece from the 1970s is the so-called ‘Grand modèle’ measuring an elegant 25 x 36 mm. Most of these watches were made in 18k yellow gold and a smaller number in white gold. However, this particular watch is a two-tone variation  (‘Deux Ors’ as Cartier calls it) consisting of 18k white and yellow gold! Only a handful of these are known to exist, making it a rare and special watch at a pretty reasonable price! The dial sports the classic Cartier-style black Roman numerals and features a “Paris” signature at the 6 o’clock position and “Paris” engraving on the solid gold caseback, indicating that the watch was sold at Cartier’s legendary flagship boutique at the Place Vendôme in Paris. On the crown we find an exquisite blue sapphire cabochon, a detail that is continued on the elegant blued sword-shaped hands. The watch comes on a glossy black alligator leather Must de Cartier strap with an 18k rose gold Cartier deployant clasp and features the elegantly engraved monogram of a previous owner on the caseback.