Cartier Santos Dumont Ref. 78097 - White 'Swiss' Dial Unpolished
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 78097 from to circa the 1980s. This model features a 25mm x 36mm yellow gold case with Cartier clearly displaying their ability to flex their finishing abilities. There are beautiful chamfers present where to top case meets the profiles that extend the length of the case, a polished bezel, and crisp 'brushed' finishing. The crown is an octagonal unit with a sapphire cabochon within, which is a nice compliment to the blued-steel 'sword' handset within. The dial is classic Cartier, with a crisp white surface and clean black printed 'Roman' indices with a black 'chemin de fer' minute track. It is powered by a manual-winding movement and comes fitted to one of our navy blue straps with its correct 'Ardillon' buckle.
In any configuration, the Santos Dumont is really something special. Somehow endlessly versatile, for virtually everyone, and absolutely packed with pedigree at the highest level.
Condition Report & Details
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Every Oliver & Clarke timepiece comes with a one-year mechanical warranty starting from the date of delivery. We ensure all watches are in wonderful working condition and are ready for daily wear. Many have been fully serviced by our team of watchmakers.
Please note:
- Due to the vintage or antique nature of many of our watches, they may not keep time as accurately as when new, nor as precisely as quartz or electronic devices.
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- We guarantee the period-correctness of all components unless otherwise stated.
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