Cartier Santos 'Octagon' ref. 0906, 'Burgundy' Lacquer 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 latter, a Reference 0906 dating to circa the 1980s. Known as a Santos 'Octagon,' this ladies-size example is offered in fantastic overall condition, with a rare, burgundy lacquer dial and a gold 'sword' handset within. This configuration, with the yellow gold construction and contrasting rich dial color has gained quite a bit of traction in recent years amongst collectors, and we feel that it's justified. This is a beautiful offering of a slightly off-the-beaten-path model.