Cartier Santos Dumont Mécanique Palantine ref. 1575, Silver 'Guilloché' Dial

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 1575 dating to circa the 1990s and is crafted out of platinum, which becomes apparent the moment you pick it up. It comes to us in excellent overall condition, with its ultra-thin case likely having seen a very light previous polishing and showing only light signs of wear throughout. The textured 'guilloché 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 white 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 neo-vintage example is suitable for virtually any wrist and is a real slice of horology.