WHY WE CURATED IT: Carrées are landmark Cartiers. Direct descendants of the Santos-Dumont from 1904: the world’s first men’s wristwatch created for the pioneering aviator of the same name (because pocket watches were impractical for cockpits). Therefore also the first pilot’s watch! A lesser-known fact is that up until 1978 when the first Santos Carrée was released, all Cartier watches were precious metal. So Carrées were also the first steel Cartiers (although they kept the bezel and bracelet screws gold, ‘coz… baby steps). Then came this less-common, shorter production run, super-versatile all-steel model. Compact in size but bold in presence with flat bracelet links that catch the light. This example comes with a Gen 1 bracelet (more reliable than Gen 2) and was serviced and restored by Cartier in 2022, with service papers and Cartier box.
CONDITION: 8/10 with shallow hairlines over a Cartier-restored case. No excessive rounding as is common with refinishing. Overall presentation is still very good. Dial, hands and crown are Cartier-replaced originals. Crystal is clean. Caseback has dings and serial is polished off (but captured in service papers). Bracelet in very good condition for the age, with minimal stretch but missing two links. Movement in excellent health with strong amplitude and low beat error, accurate to within ±20 secs/day averaged from 5 timegrapher positions.
