What is the Santos Dumont Ref. 96061?

The ultra-thin Santos Dumont in two golds, sold by dealers as Deux Ors Extra Plate or Extra Thin: a 26 to 27 × 36 mm 18k yellow gold case with an 18k white gold bezel, a white dial signed Paris with black Roman numerals and blued hands, hand-wound on the Cal. 21, built on the Frédéric Piguet Cal. 21. Sotheby's dates its example to circa 1990.

How is the 96061 different from the 96054?

By the bezel. Both are large ultra-thin Santos Dumonts on the Cal. 21 with white Roman numeral dials. The 96054 is 18k yellow gold throughout; the 96061 has a white gold bezel on a yellow gold case, as Bulang & Sons and Hairspring describe it. Sotheby's catalogs a 96061 simply as yellow gold, so look at the bezel and read the case back.

How is the 96061 different from the 78225?

The two golds are reversed. The 78225 of the 1970s has a white gold case with a yellow gold bezel and a movement on an ETA 2512 base. The 96061 has a yellow gold case with a white gold bezel and runs on the ultra-thin Cal. 21.

Is the white bezel steel?

No. Bulang & Sons and Hairspring both describe the bezel as white gold. Some listings describe it as steel, so check the hallmarks if you are unsure.

What should the case back read?

The reference, 96061. None of the sources consulted prints a full case number, so read the number on the back and compare the bezel and case metals with the description above.

Cartier · Santos Dumont

Santos Dumont 'Deux Ors' Extra Plate, Yellow Gold and White Gold

Ref. 96061c. 1990

The Cartier Santos Dumont Ref. 96061 is the 'Deux Ors' Extra Plate of about 1990: a 26–27 × 36 mm 18k yellow gold case with an 18k white gold bezel, a white Paris dial and the hand-wound Piguet-based Cal. 21.

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Specifications

Reference: 96061; 18k yellow gold case, 18k white gold bezel, manual-wind ultra-thin
Year: c. 1990; Sotheby's dates its example to circa 1990 and Bulang & Sons its own to the early 1990s; the start and end of production are not documented
Movement: Manual-wind; Cal. 21 (Frédéric Piguet base)
Case: 26–27 × 36 mm, 18k yellow gold with 18k white gold bezel
Dial: White; Black Roman numerals, signed Paris, hidden Cartier signature at VII
Hands: Blued
Crystal: Not confirmed
Strap: Leather; Alligator strap with a buckle, or a leather strap with a Cartier gold folding clasp

Visual Description

The Ref. 96061 is the ultra-thin Santos Dumont in two golds: an 18k yellow gold case with an 18k white gold bezel. Bulang & Sons and Hairspring measure it at 26 × 36 mm, and Sotheby's at 27 × 36 mm. The white dial carries black Roman numerals and is signed Paris, with the hidden Cartier signature in the VII, and the hands are blued. Bulang & Sons records a blue sapphire cabochon crown. Sotheby's offered one on an alligator strap with a buckle, and Bulang & Sons sold one with a Cartier gold folding clasp.

Reference Significance

The 96061 is the two-gold companion of the yellow gold Ref. 96054: the same large ultra-thin format on the Cal. 21, with a white gold bezel. Dealers sell both as Extra Plate or Extra Thin, and Bulang & Sons and Hairspring add the name Deux Ors for the two golds.

The 1970s Ref. 78225 is also called Deux Ors but reverses the metals, with a white gold case and a yellow gold bezel. The small Ref. 96062 has also been sold in yellow gold with a white gold bezel.

Historical Context

Sotheby's dates its example to circa 1990 and Bulang & Sons its own to the early 1990s. The start and end of production are not documented.

What to Look For

Metals: The bezel should be white gold and the case yellow gold. Sotheby's catalogs one simply as yellow gold, and some listings call the bezel steel, so check the metals and hallmarks.

Case back: It should carry 96061; a 96054 is all yellow gold.

Dial: White with black Roman numerals, a Paris signature and the hidden signature at VII.

Movement: It should be the hand-wound Cal. 21; ask for a photograph of the movement.

Known Variants

Documented dial, case, and bracelet variations of Ref. 96061.

Yellow Gold Case, White Gold Bezel, Paris Dial

Yellow gold case and white gold bezel with a white Paris-signed dial, black Roman numerals and the hidden signature at VII, blued hands and a blue sapphire cabochon crown, as Bulang & Sons describes it; Hairspring describes the same two-gold scheme.

c. 1990 (dated examples)Documented by dealers and Sotheby's

How to tell it apart

What separates a Ref. 96061 from its neighbors, and what to check before you buy or sell one.

What is the Santos Dumont Ref. 96061?: The ultra-thin Santos Dumont in two golds, sold by dealers as Deux Ors Extra Plate or Extra Thin: a 26 to 27 × 36 mm 18k yellow gold case with an 18k white gold bezel, a white dial signed Paris with black Roman numerals and blued hands, hand-wound on the Cal. 21, built on the Frédéric Piguet Cal. 21. Sotheby's dates its example to circa 1990.
How is the 96061 different from the 96054?: By the bezel. Both are large ultra-thin Santos Dumonts on the Cal. 21 with white Roman numeral dials. The 96054 is 18k yellow gold throughout; the 96061 has a white gold bezel on a yellow gold case, as Bulang & Sons and Hairspring describe it. Sotheby's catalogs a 96061 simply as yellow gold, so look at the bezel and read the case back.
How is the 96061 different from the 78225?: The two golds are reversed. The 78225 of the 1970s has a white gold case with a yellow gold bezel and a movement on an ETA 2512 base. The 96061 has a yellow gold case with a white gold bezel and runs on the ultra-thin Cal. 21.
Is the white bezel steel?: No. Bulang & Sons and Hairspring both describe the bezel as white gold. Some listings describe it as steel, so check the hallmarks if you are unsure.
What should the case back read?: The reference, 96061. None of the sources consulted prints a full case number, so read the number on the back and compare the bezel and case metals with the description above.