Santos De Cartier: Chic And Classy For The Men

With over a hundred years of history, the Santos De Cartier remains the first watch built for the wrist. More so, this is a chic and classy watch with an impressive build quality, design integrity, and thoughtfulness. The appearance of these Cartier Santos watches speaks for themselves.

It all began as a show of friendly love in 1904. Louis Cartier created a unique timepiece for his friend, Alberto Santos-Dumont who was a Brazilian aviator at the time. What Santos-Dumont needed was a timepiece he could check with his hands still on the controls of his aircraft. So, Louis Cartier designed for him what will be the Santos De Cartier wristwatch.

Ever since then, Cartier watches continued to evolve into the outstanding watchmaking brand it is today. In the late nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, Cartier watches generally stood out for their unique execution. 

Then, people strapped pocket watches on their wrists and others fitted old movements into adjusted cases using straps. But, the Santos De Cartier chose from the beginning to be a wristwatch In both its idea and production. 

In this text, we present the Santos De Cartier wristwatch with an in-depth look into the new collection. This in-depth look will reveal what makes the new Cartier Santos watches truly chic and classy for men. Follow through!

The New Cartier Santos Watches: A Ray Of New Life For A True Classic

The new Santos collection presents a set of new timepieces. These watches are not merely a redesign of old watches. They are a perfect rendition of this classic, retaining the honor of its past with a chic modern design.

Making this new collection in such a style is indeed a tough feat to achieve. However, Cartier took it on with a different passion and approach. The brand never hesitated to throw things out, bring in fresh ideas and execute them in grand style. This passion and approach have produced a Santos that feels timely for today’s watch market.

Cartier to the World

The International Marketing and Communications Director of Cartier, Arnaud Carrez spoke about the new collection at the Santos launch event in San Francisco in 2018.

According to him, “Cartier is a maison of paradoxes, you know, of tensions. There is always a balance to be found and Santos is exactly this. It’s taking a classic of the maison and finding contemporary narration around the watch. That’s what we always need to find. We have amazing icons, but we need to express them in a contemporary, relevant manner.” 

Carrez proceeded to note how the brand thinks “… people are a bit bored with the usual events, all looking exactly the same. We knew what we built needed to be unique. Substance is available, we have content, and the ideas of being bold and being fearless resonates very well here in San Francisco. ‘Let’s build content beyond the product’ and create something that connects with other communities” we said.  

Furthermore, Arnaud Carrez stressed the part that marketing and positioning have in a launch like this. For Arnaud Carrez, “It’s a subtle exercise, but one that is very exciting. Santos is about a whole universe, about a spirit. We need to capitalize on that. We need to build something that is totally different than what you typically find in a watch launch and I think we’ve done it. We want to push boundaries – we don’t like routine.”

Introducing The New 2018 Santos De Cartier Collection

Do not see the new 2018 Santos De Cartier collection as a watch. This new output from the brand is instead a collection of timepieces. This collection consists of a total of 12 models featuring both medium and large sizes alongside other notable variants.

Nevertheless, specific key features are shared across all the models. So, in many ways, this collection presents itself as a unified family only offering ample diversity to suit different preferences. Therefore, we will view this new 2018 collection from the lens of the all-black large Santos De Cartier wristwatch.

No Curves, No Case!

This Santos De Cartier wristwatch is different from what it used to be. It is still the regular square case, but with a curvier design. This curvier shape is only one of the features that make this new case different. 

• The Size Of The Case

The large model of the Santos De Cartier wristwatch measures 39.8mm x 47.5mm. This size dimension of the large model makes it wear similarly to a regular 42mm wristwatch.

• The Square Shape Of The Case

It might come in a square shape, but there is nothing hard or angular about this Santos De Cartier timepiece. The curvy layout of the case comes out clearly in the new shape of the lugs. With the curves, the logs flow into the crown guards seamlessly. 

The shape of the new Santos case is quite distinct. On the right, it reveals a view of hilly waves made in all-black shiny steel. With the brushed finishes used along the top and sides of the case, the softness becomes striking. 

Finally, the case is only 8.83mm thick making it incredibly slim and meld nicely with the watch’s bracelet. 

• The Bezel On The Case

The bezel remains the most striking change made to the case. The bezel retains its square shape, but not that perfectly rounded square shape merely screwed on top of the case. The new bezel extends slightly at the top and bottom and slopes down to between the lugs. This change allows the all-black bracelet or strap to feel more blended presenting a new dashing appearance.

The New Classy Cartier Santos Is On Speed Dial

The classy dial remains unchanged with the large size still featuring the regular time and date dial with three hands. The dial is pure class with its glittering black finish and its white Roman numerals. 

This Santos De Cartier wristwatch features a railroad minutes track rounded off by the typical blued steel hands. The medium model is a time-only timepiece. But, here is the large model featuring a date window at the 6 o’clock position. 

Taking Power From Another Classy Powerhouse

The movement powering the medium and large models of the new Santos De Cartier timepiece is the caliber 1847 MC. The movement is an in-house movement with a 25.6mm measurement. This movement beats at 4 Hz, runs in 23 jewels to deliver an impressive 42-hour power reserve. 

Cartier furnishes these new Cartier Santos watches with a modern workhorse automatic and a modest decoration. It also features a Cartier-signed rotor concealed by the solid black caseback. In addition, the caliber also employs nickel phosphorous components to provide extra resistance to magnetism. 

Moreover, there is a paramagnetic alloy cover within the case, shielding this movement. Cartier has not revealed the precise gauss measurement of this movement. However, the brand affirms that the Santos De Cartier is “effectively resistant to the powerful magnetic fields a watch may be exposed to in everyday life.”  That will do!

Besides, there are date and no date versions of the 1847 MC movement. So, the medium and large models are both equipped with a suited and functional version of the movement. 

We already mentioned that the steel back covers the movement with a Cartier engraving on its back.  The all-black steel caseback also features an elegant brushed finish.

Nonetheless, the skeleton models of the Cartier Santos timepiece do not feature an 1847 MC movement. Instead, it receives its power from the 9619 MC movement. The 9619 MC base is an entirely distinct movement that uses a peculiar bridge layout to express the regular Cartier Roman digits.

Braced For Impact

The new Santo De Cartier collection features a screw-adorned Santos bracelet. While the particular watches under review add on glitters to get braced for more impact. This bracelet holds an integral part in the Santos De Cartier DNA. 

The look is all shades of chic and classy, and this comes in the best way possible. The Cartier Santos bracelet exhumes a bold and shamelessly unrestrained aura around it which is absolutely loveable.

Meanwhile, the bracelet on this Santos De Cartier wristwatch is an all-black shiny and solid stainless steel. This bracelet features angular links without the sharpness, but, with brushed surfaces and polished ends that resound the case lines. 

All of the bracelet eases seamlessly from the case to the hidden clasp behind the wristwatch. It is purely beautiful and adorable to see that the screws are clearly random in orientation. It is more stylish to experience the glittering effect of the stoned bracelet on the all-black outlook. More so, the angular links deliver a soft feel on the wrist to make it truly easy to wear.

Easy Use Features From Cartier

Santos De Cartier equips the new Cartier Santos collection with two outstanding features for easy use. These two features or systems set the brand apart as manufacturers that consider making things easier for their customers.

• Wear It Smartly With The SmartLink System

What if the bracelet is too big for your wrist? There is no need to bother or make a trip uptown to have it sized. Cartier’s patent-pending SmartLink system is all you need to adjust it yourself. And here is how to do it:

• Start by pushing a button on the bottom of a link to partly pop out a pin. 
• Then, you proceed to slide the link out. 
• Note that the pins don’t come all the way out. That is Cartier’s way of making sure you can’t lose the pins. The pins are all you need to size the bracelet yourself. 

However, you can make the adjustment using a toothpick or any other soft, pointy object you have around you. Ensure you only use soft objects. Using any sharp or hard object will easily scratch the bracelet and disfigure it. Certainly, you wouldn’t want that to happen. 

• Switch Your Bracelet Swiftly With The QuickSwitch Feature

We cannot think of reasons you might want to, but you might want to swap out the bracelet altogether. It is easy to do this with the help of another patent-pending system, the QuickSwitch. 

With this system, you simply push a tab between the lugs. This slides the bracelet or strap out of place and you can easily replace it.  Besides, you can also do this with your fingernail. 

Alt-Image: easy to use Santos De Cartier wristwatch

With the QuickSwitch and SmartLink features, Cartier delivers ease as Apple did with the bracelet on the first Apple Watch. Cartier is one of those few watchmakers that pay attention to its customers’ easy usage and satisfaction.

• Select From The Multiple Color Options

Cartier De Santos adds one more convenience feature in the new collection. The new collection allows you to pick your strap color when you buy your Santos De Cartier wristwatch. You do not have to make a pre-selected choice. You have the opportunity to decide if you want a strap or a bracelet and the color you prefer.

Conclusion: A Perfect Balance Of The Classic And The Modern 

The Cartier Santos presents a delightful balance of the best of the old and some outstanding modern ideas here. The new 2018 Santos De Cartier is a unique timepiece that blends familiarity with ingenuity flawlessly. 

Additionally, this is a timepiece that offers you comfort and an easy wear from the get-go. We are sure that in your first few days with this wristwatch, you will find yourself continually staring at it. Moreover, no one is not a Santos gentleman. It only takes a week with the latest model to be won over by this chic and classy timepiece.

Nevertheless, the Santos De Cartier wristwatch is not a design for everyone which adds to its appeal. This wristwatch is a modern design equipped enough to stand side-by-side with top timepieces in the watch market.

Overall, bringing back to life a design that everyone already had a feel of is not the easiest of tasks. Yet, Santos De Cartier does it effortlessly and in typically grand style. With a subtle execution and valuable modifications, this classic cum modern wristwatch is a stunner on the wrist always.