This Cartier Santos Ref. 2961 is a striking two-tone example of Cartier’s iconic sports watch, blending stainless steel and 18k yellow gold in its classic square case and integrated Godron bracelet, known for its rounded center links and smooth articulation. This piece is fitted with an aftermarket diamond-set bezel, adding a touch of bold luxury to the timeless Santos design. There were the famously known factory set bezels on the “or massif” models ref. 2960, and of course there were typical “aftermarket” bezels, often with bad quality diamonds and obviously poor gem-setting skills, but: there’s a third category… many clients of the time wished to have a diamond-set bezel on their non-precious Santos Carrée models, so plenty of Cartier AD’s had their highly skilled goldsmiths set the bezels at Cartier standards. These bezels are set with the right technique and number of diamonds per row, also matching size, but do nit exactly match the incredible quality of the factory diamond-setting of Cartier itself. This example appears to be such a case. The white Roman numeral dial, blued steel hands and visible bezel screws all remain true to Cartier’s signature style. The watch is in excellent overall condition and stands out as a distinctive, elegant version of one of Cartier’s most recognizable creations.