Cartier Santos Dumont Extra-Plate ref. 96061, 'Deux Ors'

Dealer description — Oliver & Clarke

The Cartier Santos is widely regarded as — wait for it.... ...one of the very first wrist watches. Full stop. Predating the more iconic Tank Louis by nearly two decades, the first Santos can trace its roots all the way back to circa 1904 when one Mr. Cartier provided his friend and pilot, Alberto Santos Dumont, a timepiece to be worn on the wrist, rather than kept in a pocket. The Santos is fascinating from a historical perspective in that it was not only the first wristwatch designed to be worn by a male, but also the first pilot's watch. Like so many icons, the Santos went on to see many variations, utilizing different sizes, movements, dials, and strap designs throughout its now 120-years of production. In the late 1970s, there were multiple variants available at the same time — one of which was faithful to the original design with a thin case profile, a manually-wound calibre, and came fitted to a leather strap — while another piece was introduced with an integrated bracelet, an automatic-winding movement, and featured a variety of dial options. The Santos that we have here is one of the former, a 'Santos Dumont' Reference 96061 dating to circa the late 1980s known as a 'Deux Ors.' On the surface, this piece appears to be a two-tone configuration, with a yellow gold case and stainless steel bezel, when in reality the bezel is actually crafted out of white gold. This example comes to us in excellent overall condition, with its ultra-thin case having seen a light previous polishing and showing only light signs of wear throughout. The white enamel 'Paris' dial inside is immaculate. The blued-steel 'sword' handset compliments the sapphire cabochon crown, which remains crisp and full with no chips or damage like so many of these do. The brown alligator leather strap is adjustable by way of the correct signed yellow gold deployant clasp that it is fitted to. In any configuration, the Santos Dumont of this era is really something special. Ultra-thin, versatile, and absolutely packed with pedigree at the highest level. This fine example is suitable for virtually any wrist and is a real slice of horology.