Santos Dumont 34.6 Pink Gold

In Context

At 34.6 mm it is classically proportioned: the size a dress watch was understood to be for most of the twentieth century, and small enough to sit under a cuff. The 5.58 mm case is genuinely slim and goes under a shirt cuff without argument. The case back is closed, so the movement stays out of sight, and the sapphire crystal will resist everything short of deliberate abuse. Rated to 30 m, it is protected against rain and splashes and nothing beyond that.

The movement is hand-wound, so winding it becomes part of the day rather than something the watch does for you. Its 36-hour reserve wants wearing most days; leave it off and it stops. At 21,600 vph the seconds hand advances 6 times a second, the slower and more audible rate of an older design.

W2006951 stands on its own in this catalogue — no other reference here shares its base number. It pairs a silver matte dial with a pink gold case.

Cartier-branded version of Piaget 430P, an ultra-thin hand-wound mechanical movement. Type: Hand-wound mechanical Shape: Round Functions: Minutes, Hours Technical features: Balance stop Power reserve (in hours): Approx. 43 Frequency (vph): 21,600 Frequency (Hz): 3 Diameter (lines): 9.00 Diameter (mm): 20.5 Number of jewels: 18 Thickness (mm): 2.1 Number of components: 131

6 other watches in the library run the Cartier 430 MC.

Cartier

Ballon Bleu de Cartier 40 Extra Flat Pink Gold / Grey

W6920089 · 40 mm

Cartier

Tortue Extra Thin Pink Gold / Silver

WGTO0002 · 34.6 mm

Cartier

Tortue Extra Flat White Gold / Silver

WGTO0003 · 34.6 mm

Cartier

Santos Dumont 31.4 China

W2SA0027 · 31.4 mm