What is a Cartier Santos Dumont Ref. 78097 worth?

Public auction and dealer results for Ref. 78097 from November 2021 to November 2026 (five years, as the last three alone have too few) come to $6,950 to $11,550, with a median of $9,200 across 4 sales of this exact reference. The most recent was $10,650 at Heritage Auctions in June 2025. Condition, service history, and the original box and papers move an individual watch within that range.

What is the Santos Dumont Ref. 78097?

The Santos Dumont in 18k yellow gold on the hand-wound Cartier Cal. 78-1, dated from about 1970 into the 1980s: a 25 × 36 mm square case with exposed screws on the bezel, a white dial with black Roman numerals and a railroad minute track, blued hands and an octagonal crown set with a sapphire, on a leather strap with a gold Cartier buckle or deployant clasp.

What does a Paris dial mean on a 78097?

A dial signed Paris, as on the examples Watches of Knightsbridge and Bukowskis sold; Watches of Knightsbridge described its dial, on a watch of about 1978, as original. Replacement dials are documented too: Antiquorum graded the dial of a 1990s example as a service dial. Ask whether the dial is original and read it together with the case and papers.

What movement is in the Ref. 78097?

The hand-wound Cartier Cal. 78-1 with 17 jewels, as Sotheby's catalogs it on Yves Saint Laurent's watch and Bukowskis and Watches of Knightsbridge on theirs. Antiquorum has cataloged two examples, dated to the 1980s and 1990s, with a Caliber 21 of 17 jewels, so ask for a photograph of the movement.

What should I check on a Ref. 78097?

A case number beginning 78097; every bezel screw present, since Bukowskis noted two missing on one example; the dial signature and whether the dial is original; the movement, which most catalogs give as the Cal. 78-1; the crystal, which catalogs list as glass or sapphire; and an 18k gold Cartier pin buckle or deployant clasp.

Cartier · Santos Dumont

Santos Dumont, Paris

Ref. 78097c. 1970s–1980s

The Cartier Santos Dumont Ref. 78097 is a 25 × 36 mm 18k yellow gold Santos Dumont made c. 1970s–1980s on the hand-wound Cartier Cal. 78-1, two millimeters narrower than the ultra-thin Ref. 96054, with a white dial signed Paris on some examples.

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Sales of Ref. 78097 since Nov 2021: $6,950 to $11,550, median $9,200 across 4 sales of this exact reference. What's yours worth?

Only sales that name Ref. 78097 count here. The last three years alone have too few, so this goes back five.

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Specifications

Reference: 78097; Yellow gold, manual-wind, Paris dial
Year: c. 1970s–1980s; Sotheby's dates Yves Saint Laurent's example to circa 1970; Bukowskis dates one to about 1985 and Antiquorum one to the 1980s, and Antiquorum another, with a service dial, to the 1990s
Movement: Manual-wind; Cartier Cal. 78-1, 17 jewels
Case: 25 × 36 mm, 18k Yellow Gold
Dial: White; Black Roman numerals, railroad minute track; signed Paris on some examples
Hands: Blued steel; Sword-shaped
Crystal: Mineral glass; Catalogs differ: European Watch Co. lists a glass crystal, Bukowskis a sapphire crystal
Strap: Leather; Leather strap with an 18k yellow gold Cartier pin buckle or deployant clasp

Visual Description

The Ref. 78097 is the Santos Dumont in 18k yellow gold. European Watch Co. and Antiquorum measure the square case at 25 × 36 mm, and Sotheby's at 26 × 36 mm for Yves Saint Laurent's example. The bezel carries exposed screws; Wind Vintage describes an octagonal crown and Watches of Knightsbridge a faceted gold and sapphire crown. The dial is white with black Roman numerals and a railroad minute track, signed Paris on some examples, and the hands are blued. Catalogs list the crystal as glass (European Watch Co.) or sapphire (Bukowskis).

Reference Significance

The 78097 is the Santos Dumont on the Cartier Cal. 78-1, 25 mm wide against the 27 mm of the ultra-thin Ref. 96054 on the Frédéric Piguet Cal. 21.

Sotheby's has cataloged Yves Saint Laurent's own 78097, case 780971004, which he wore in a photograph by Horst P. Horst for Vogue in 1971. It was offered in Sotheby's sale of the Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé collection, where the lot closed on 30 January 2025.

Historical Context

Catalogs date the 78097 from about 1970 into the 1980s. Sotheby's dates Yves Saint Laurent's watch to circa 1970, European Watch Co. one example to the 1970s and Watches of Knightsbridge one to about 1978; Wind Vintage dates one to the early 1980s, Bukowskis one to about 1985 and Antiquorum one to the 1980s. Antiquorum dates another, with a service dial, to the 1990s.

What to Look For

Read the case number, which begins with the reference: 780971004 on Yves Saint Laurent's watch, 780'970'231 on the example Bukowskis sold. Check that every bezel screw is present; Bukowskis noted two missing on one example.

Ask whether the dial is original. Paris-signed dials are documented, and Antiquorum graded one example's dial as a service dial. Ask for a photograph of the movement: Sotheby's, Bukowskis and Watches of Knightsbridge give the Cal. 78-1, while Antiquorum catalogs two later examples with a Caliber 21. The strap should close with an 18k gold Cartier pin buckle or deployant clasp.

Known Variants

Documented dial, case, and bracelet variations of Ref. 78097.

Paris-Signed Dial

White dial signed Paris, as on the examples Watches of Knightsbridge (circa 1978, described as original) and Bukowskis (about 1985) sold.

1970s and 1980s (dated examples)Documented by a dealer and an auction house

Service Dial

A replacement dial fitted in service: Antiquorum graded the white dial of a 78097 of the 1990s, case 780971529, as a service dial.

Fitted in serviceOne example documented

How to tell it apart

What separates a Ref. 78097 from its neighbors, and what to check before you buy or sell one.

What is a Cartier Santos Dumont Ref. 78097 worth?: Public auction and dealer results for Ref. 78097 from November 2021 to November 2026 (five years, as the last three alone have too few) come to $6,950 to $11,550, with a median of $9,200 across 4 sales of this exact reference. The most recent was $10,650 at Heritage Auctions in June 2025. Condition, service history, and the original box and papers move an individual watch within that range.
What is the Santos Dumont Ref. 78097?: The Santos Dumont in 18k yellow gold on the hand-wound Cartier Cal. 78-1, dated from about 1970 into the 1980s: a 25 × 36 mm square case with exposed screws on the bezel, a white dial with black Roman numerals and a railroad minute track, blued hands and an octagonal crown set with a sapphire, on a leather strap with a gold Cartier buckle or deployant clasp.
What does a Paris dial mean on a 78097?: A dial signed Paris, as on the examples Watches of Knightsbridge and Bukowskis sold; Watches of Knightsbridge described its dial, on a watch of about 1978, as original. Replacement dials are documented too: Antiquorum graded the dial of a 1990s example as a service dial. Ask whether the dial is original and read it together with the case and papers.
What movement is in the Ref. 78097?: The hand-wound Cartier Cal. 78-1 with 17 jewels, as Sotheby's catalogs it on Yves Saint Laurent's watch and Bukowskis and Watches of Knightsbridge on theirs. Antiquorum has cataloged two examples, dated to the 1980s and 1990s, with a Caliber 21 of 17 jewels, so ask for a photograph of the movement.
What should I check on a Ref. 78097?: A case number beginning 78097; every bezel screw present, since Bukowskis noted two missing on one example; the dial signature and whether the dial is original; the movement, which most catalogs give as the Cal. 78-1; the crystal, which catalogs list as glass or sapphire; and an 18k gold Cartier pin buckle or deployant clasp.