Cartier Santos Ronde ref. 1561.1 Box and Booklets

The Cartier Santos is one of those watches that just refuses to fall out of fashion, but while Cartier’s impressive brand cache is probably to thank for a lot of its success, the Santos has never really stood still. There are plenty of different variants to suit just about everyone’s tastes and therein lies its super power. Offered here we have the Santos Ronde ref. 1561.1, a round Santos variant that combines the Santos’ iconic design language with a round case shape that creates something fundamentally casual. Measuring 30mm in diameter, its stainless steel case is met by the Santos’ iconic exposed-screw-laden bracelet to match the exposed-screw bezel that surrounds its circular white dial that houses all of Cartier’s signature design details such as its bright white colour, black Roman numeral hour markers, blued steel hands, and chemin de fir railroad-style minute track. Combining so many of Cartier’s unmistakable features with a design that is wonderfully familiar in its profile given just how widespread round watches are as a category, the Santos Ronde boasts an impressive familiarity that means it doesn’t feel as unapologetically unusual as its design actually is in practice, and that dichotomy creates something special that the ref. 1561.1 embraces to the fullest.

Offered in wonderful condition, this example’s stainless steel case and bracelet both feature the sort of wear that you would expect from a watch from the 1990s, with the usual light swirl marks that would suggest careful but consistent wear over the years. Most importantly, the watch lacks any signs of extensive polishing or large pieces of damage like dents or deep scratches. The quartz movement was serviced by our watchmaker before being added to stock, and the watch functions and operates exactly as it should.

Brand: Cartier
Model: Santos Ronde
Reference: 1561.1 / W20026K1
Set: Serialised box and booklets
Year: Circa 1990s
Dial: White
Material: Stainless steel
Movement: Quartz cal. 687
Case Diameter: 30mm
Thickness: 6.7mm
Lug-to-lug: 35mm
Lug Width: 16mm
Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel bracelet