If you outgrew gold and steel watches but want to stick to the two-tone theme; you might want to take a look at this Santos Dumont "Deux Ors".

To be fair, we don't often show love for bicolour watches. Especially steel and gold. However, we must admit that this Cartier Santos Dumont in yellow gold with white gold bezel, hits the spot just right. Cartier set the template for every modern wristwatch with the introduction of the Santos Dumont in 1904. This elegant version 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 Santos Dumont ref. 96061 dates back to the early 1990s. The 18k yellow gold case is extra thin due to the Frederique Piguet Cal21: manual winding movement. The lovely 18k white gold bezel is, as we've stated before, a subtle contrast with the yellow gold case. The slim profile with case dimensions of 26 x 36,5 mm make for an elegant watch. The dial sports the classic Cartier-style black Roman numerals and features a ‘Paris’ signature at the 6 o’clock position. 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 Cartier red strap with the original e18k yellow gold Cartier folding clasp. Due to this system one needs a bespoke strap, so we are happy to offer an additional strap of choice. The condition remains very strong and it is mechanically good to go for the new owner to enjoy for decades to come.