Vintage Cartier Santos Galbee steel and gold wrist watch

A stylish vintage Cartier Santos Galbee steel and gold wrist watch with automatic movement.

The watch features a 24 mm stainless steel and 18 carat gold case, a beautiful custom factory-set shiny grey dial, with applied-yellow gold hour markers set at the relevant places. The hands are also made of 18ct yellow gold. The glass is sapphire-crystal. The watch has a wonderful automatic movement and the crown is set with a faceted blue cabochon synthetic sapphire, a signature of Cartier. This watch is in immaculate condition and would be perfect for everyday wear.

As the story goes, in 1904, Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont complained to friend Louis Cartier about the unreliability and impracticality of using a pocket watch while flying. Cartier designed a flat wristwatch with a square bezel and gave it to Cartier, and the watch eventually caught on with other customers. Thus, the first mass-produced men’s wristwatch (and first pilot’s watch) was born. While there’s debate about the first humans to take flight – Santos-Dumont or the Wright brothers – there is no debate about the first men’s wristwatch. What also can’t be debated is that Santos-Dumont became the first person to be filmed in an airplane flight in November 1906 when he took flight for 21.5 seconds, with a Cartier watch on his wrist.

This watch has been fully serviced by Cartier and is accompanied with Cartier service papers. All our watches are provided with a complimentary valuation for insurance and authenticity purposes. Accompanied with an international warranty from Cartier valid until August 2026.

Serial number : 881123CC
Model reference: 2423
Case size: 24-millimetres
Box and Papers: Cartier Service Papers.
Year c 1990s