Collector's Notes
I’ve been an admirer of Cartier for a while now, and I remember in the early days of this love affair there was one watch that continually caught me eye: the Cartier Santos Dumont. Hard to argue with a model whose history is built on being the first pilot’s watch ever made — in 1904 for Alberto Santos-Dumont.
Beyond the historical provenance, this particular reference — a 96054 Ultra Thin in 18K yellow gold from the 1970s — checks all of the right boxes for me. It has an early “Paris” signed lacquer dial, a Frédéric Piguet based hand-wound ultra thin movement, and that classic Cartier design language of white dial, black Roman numerals, blued hands, and yellow gold case. Not only was this my first Cartier, but it was also the only precious metal piece in my collection for quite some time. Through it, I grew to love the warmth of gold and now have several such pieces in my collection.
The Santos Dumont has such a different feel than any other watch I’ve owned, both in size and its ability to be distinctly elegant and distinctly sporty at the same time. My only regret is that I slept on this watch for too long and had to pay the price. But the experience of wearing the little gold nugget has definitely been worth it.
Specifications
Brand:
Cartier
Model:
Santos Dumont
Reference:
96054
Year:
1970s
Case Material:
Yellow gold
Diameter:
27 mm
Lug Width:
17 mm
Thickness:
4.2 mm
Lug-to-Lug:
36.0 mm
Dial:
White
Lume:
None
Crystal:
Sapphire
Movement:
Hand-wound
Caliber:
Frédéric Piguet 21
Bracelet/Strap:
Molequin military green Saffiano strap
Hand model has a wrist size of 6.2 in
