Vintage watches are about history, telling a story if you will. Part of the allure is the detective work behind putting the pieces of a puzzle together to make that story come to life. This watch is no different - a cartier santos with original box and papers. Only this time there is a catch. The papers are blank. No individual serial number or date of purchase. Just a small stamp in the bottom left hand corner that reads "-Cartier- Paris London New York" and at the very bottom you see "Narita South Wing Terminal 1"
So off I was set out and determined to uncover this mystery that lays before me on my desk. A full set Cartier Santos with box and papers. Papers that were a blank slate save for a little stamp in the corner. After a little digging I found that Narita South Wing was an airport in Japan where there just so happen to be a Cartier boutique at - you guessed it - terminal 1.
The next part of the mystery that peaked my interest was the two small stamps below Cartier - hallmarks of what appeared to be a small owl with the number 75 on their chest. After some digging I came to learn that hallmark signifies a foreign made gold case that was imported into France, specifically Paris. That coincides nicely with the stamp mentioned earlier as Paris is one of the major 3 cities listed.
So it appears that the case, and perhaps the entire watch, was assembled in Switzerland before being imported into France before eventually making its way to the Cartier boutique in Narita, Japan to be bought by its original owner. Now its here, in Bethlehem PA, with Steel City in our vintage watch shop and we couldn't be more excited.
ABOUT THIS WATCH:
MANUFACTURER: Cartier
MODEL: Santos
REFERENCE: 0906
SERIAL: 03xxx
YEAR: Unknown
DIAL: The Cartier classic white dial with printed roman numerals is in fantastic condition free of any imperfections, blemishes, patina or scratches and is complete with the Cartier signature hidden 7th numeral - a nice touch.
CASE: The solid 18kt yellow gold 25mm case is in great condition and sports very little wear from use. The case is completed by its original signature blue cabochon crown.
MOVEMENT: Cartier automatic movement. Service history is unknown. The watch winds, sets and runs good. It was timed over a 24hr period. The 24hrs included periods of wear and non-wear and compared to atomic EST. Over those 24hrs the watch lost 3 seconds.
BRACELET: On its original 18k solid gold bracelet and clasp. The bracelet has minimal stretch or wear and is in fantastic condition.
ACCESSORIES: Original outer and inner box & papers.
BOX/PAPERS: Yes
BANK WIRE PRICE: $5,500.
