Manufacturer: Cartier Year: Circa 1990s Reference No: 1575B Case No: No. 0063MG Model Name: Santos Material: Platinum Calibre: Manual, cal. 21, 17 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Leather Clasp/Buckle: 18K white gold Cartier deployant clasp Dimensions: 27mm width x 36mm length Signed: Case, dial, movement and clasp signed Accessories: Further accompanied by original Cartier Certificat de Garantie Internationale, instruction manual, product literature, folio and fitted presentation box.
Catalogue Essay
For many collectors and enthusiasts of wristwatches, the Cartier Santos was the first ever wristwatch in terms of the idea and the initial execution, instead of strapping a pocket watch on the wrist.
In 1904, the founder Louis Cartier decided to make a very special timepiece for his friend who was a Brazilian aviator seeking for a way to check on the time without taking his hands off the controls in the cockpit, his name was Alberto Santos-Dumont. Since being the first ever watch to be worn on the wrist in 1904, the Santos family had grown with many more references and becomes one of Cartier’s most iconic wristwatches still in production today.
The ref. 1575B was introduced in the early 1990s and is one of the variations inspired from the first Santos.
With the Constitution of 1848 came a new standard for luxury in France. Founded one year prior by Louis-Francois Cartier, the house of Cartier was one of the first to use platinum in jewelry making. This incredibly expensive material became the stepping-stone for Cartier to experiment in form, mechanisms and attitude. It helped men move from pocket watches to wristwatches, effectively making the watch much more functional and prominent in a man's overall wardrobe.
Cartier did not only touch on functionality. Inspired by a commissioned painting by George Barbier featuring a black panther at the feet of an elegantly bejeweled woman, Cartier began incorporating wild animals in his designs—most notably, Cartier Panthère rings, bangle bracelets and watches. Yet it wasn't until the late 1960s that the house of Cartier debuted their iconic yellow and rose gold LOVE collection, which includes the famous bracelet that only a special screwdriver can open.