Cartier Santos Carrée "Burgundy"

When Cartier relaunched the Santos in 1978, it gave the model an integrated bracelet and a steel case with exposed screws. The vintage Cartier Santos Carrée, reference 2960, carries that design entirely in stainless steel. Carrée is French for square, and the name describes the boxier case Cartier sold alongside the rounded Galbée. Of the dial colours offered on the 2960, burgundy red lacquer is the variant most in demand today. At 29mm wide and 41mm from lug to lug, this is the men's reference.

This 1980s example pairs a deep burgundy lacquer dial with steel hands and a date window, all beneath a sapphire crystal. The colour carries the whole face and is answered at the side of the case by a crown fitted with a red cabochon. Screws sit exposed on the square bezel and continue along the integrated steel bracelet, so the hardware that defines the Santos runs the full length of the watch.

The automatic movement, built on the ETA 2671, has been freshly serviced by Cartier, and the watch comes with two years of official warranty from that service. The lacquer dial presents clean, with its burgundy tone even. Light marks show on some of the screw heads on the bracelet and bezel, and the case back carries minor surface marks. These are the honest traces of a steel Santos worn since the 1980s, a model Cartier built to be put on every day. The watch is delivered with its box.

The integrated steel bracelet fastens with a steel folding clasp.