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The Deal Maker's Watch.
Consider the scene. You're seated in the Plaza Hotel waiting to have lunch with a prospective client to discuss a new financial deal. You're wearing your favourite navy suit with a crisp white shirt and a pair of buffed dress shoes. You feel good. You shoot your cuff to check the time on the watch you specifically chose for this day - the Cartier Santos Carée. It's a more modest and under-the-radar choice compared to other options in your collection. It says success quietly without the potential of turning off your prospect from signing on the dotted line. You look up to see that they just arrived. No detail will go overlooked today, you're wearing the perfect deal maker's watch.
This timepiece was born during the Wall Street heyday where hostile takeovers, creative maneuvering and corporate celebrities were on the rise. While old-money was still rooted during this time, new-money was quickly making its way. For wristwatches, luxury was no longer exclusive to precious metals, it now included stainless steel. Cartier capitalized on this trend by introducing their first stainless steel watch in 1978 - the Cartier de Santos. Also referred to as the Santos Carrée (French for square), it is not to be mistaken with the Santos Galbée as that is a later revision with a quartz movement and a more rounded case. We're here to admire the original.
The design language stems from Cartier's iconic Santos Dumont, the first men's wristwatch. The use of stainless steel and 18K gold is a blend of both luxury and sport - versatile enough to be worn with a suit or casually with a polo. The square shape with exposed screws gives off an industrial presence of power. While rotating the watch under a light, the angular lines of the bracelet shimmer link by link for that soft glow. It is subtle and present all at the same time.
The popularity of this watch was big. When it was was launched on a glamorous gala evening at the Musee de L'Air in Paris, the first counterfeit was seized in Cannes only 8 days later. In 6 years, it became the most imitated watch in the world. It even made its way to the big screen - it was famously worn by Michael Douglas in Oliver Stone's Wall Street and by Swoosie Kurtz in Cruel Intentions.
This timepiece is a symbol of success while it accomplished this with a simple design, stainless steel case and kiss of yellow gold. Whether your next ambitions are taking over a board room like Gordon Gekko or simply presenting at your next zoom call, you'll choose right with this Santos.
This watch is in great condition.
The case shows light signs of wear. It still retains its sharp and curved lines with no sign of overpolishing. The case back hallmarks and serial number are still clear and visible. There is a small scratch on the upper right lug which poses no visual distraction - it can be polished out but we chose to honor its original condition.
The white dial is in mint condition with no cracking or blemishes to note.
The sapphire crystal, faceted crown and blue sword shaped hands are in pristine condition.
The stainless steel bracelet shows light signs of wear with occasional light scratches throughout. The bracelet is tight with little no to no signs of stretch.
The automatic movement has been recently serviced and is keeping accurate time.
