Cartier Santos Galbee reference 2319, SIHH Asia Limited Edition, Large size, full set

Maker: Cartier
Model: Santos Galbee ref. 2319, SIHH limited edition
Size: LM (large) for men's
Year: 2002
Dial: Grey dial with white painted Roman Numerals. No date
Case: Steel
Case Dimensions: 41mm x 29mm. thickness 8.1mm
Crystal: sapphire crystal
Movement: Cartier Automatic movement, running at +15.1 sec/day
Service history: February 2025 by Cartier Japan
Bracelet/Strap: Original Cartier Steel bracelet
Box/Papers:  Full set. Cartier inner/outer box, booklet case, certificate of guarantee with retailer stamp. Comes with Cartier Japan service papers.

The Santos dates back to 1904 when Louis Cartier was asked by his Brazilian aviator friend, Alberto Santos Dumont, to design a watch that he could wear during his solo flights around Paris. With this, Louis Cartier came up with the Santos Dumont, which can be considered the world's first pilots watch. Fast forward to the 1970's and amidst the quartz crisis Cartier released the Santos de Cartier watch model. The Santos was born in 1978 as a result of Cartier’s decision to try to appeal to a younger crowd who leaned towards sportier watches. In order to give the new Santos a modern look, Cartier gave the watch an integrated bracelet instead of a traditional leather strap. Cartier made the bracelet in stainless steel, a true change in course for the maison that had only worked with precious metal in the past. In 1987, Cartier further made updates to the Santos and launched the Santos Galbee. The Santos Galbee had a slightly more curved case along with a new bracelet which gave it a more streamlined look than its predecessor.

This particular Santos Galbee ref 2319 is a very special and uncommon Santos. Released at the 2002 SIHH tradeshow in Singapore it was limited to just 2000 pieces. The watch features a grey dial with no date and luminous hands. It further sports crown guards with the signature blue sapphire cabochon on the crown and has ‘Cartier’ and ‘automatic’ printed on the dial. All of these intricate details make this Santos very special compared to the more commonly found white and silvered dial Santos Galbee siblings out there.

Overall, this Santos Galbee ref 2319 SIHH limited edition sized in LM (men's size) is in fantastic condition. The case as well as the case bezel has some minor scratches but nothing major. The original dark grey dial, luminous handset, as well as the crown guards and blue sapphire cabochon are all in excellent shape. The watch was serviced by Cartier Japan in February 2025 and is currently running at +15.1 second/day in the upright position. The bracelet can fit up to a wrist size of 18.5cm or 7.3 inches. The watch comes as a full set with its Cartier outer/inner box, booklet case, certificate of guarantee, procedure manual as well as a service paper from Cartier Japan.

Ships from Japan