The first iteration of the Cartier Santos was introduced in 1911, designed for Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont by Louis Cartier himself so that Santos-Dumont could check the time in the air without having to use his hands to operate a pocket watch. It was largely WWI and the trench watches that spurred a turn from pocket watches to wrist watches in the interwar era, but the Cartier Santos predates World War I and is considered to be both the first men’s wristwatch and the first pilot’s wristwatch. It was first designed in 1904 for Santos-Dumont specifically, and more widely adapted by Cartier beginning in 1911.

With the popularity of the steel sports watches of the 1970s, Cartier sought their own variation on this theme, and introduced an update to the half a century old Santos. The new Santos de Cartier featured a riveted bi-metal bracelet and a riveted bezel in 18K yellow gold affixed to the stainless steel case, and was an affordable mixed metal option that gained traction on the wrists of many watch enthusiasts of the 1980s. Tweaked and re-interpretated, it remained a mainstay of Cartier’s collection until 2016 when it was discontinued. Fortunately it was reintroduced in 2018 with a distinctly more modern case size and refined design.

A crossover between the sporty utilitarian Heuer and the elegant Baignoire, this Cartier Santos Galbée formerly owned and worn by James Garner is in excellent overall condition, having been worn sparingly. Powered by an automatic movement, it is the perfect daily wearer with the added bonus of celebrity provenance, with a portion of its sale benefitting the James Garner Animal Rescue Fund.

PROPERTY OF THE FAMILY OF THE ORIGINAL OWNER