The Perfect His and Hers Watch Set: Bustdown Cartier Santos Watches
What couple wouldn’t an appreciate a his and hers watch duo done with class? A pair of watches of the same brand and collection, with one being a masculine “his” version, and the other being a more feminine “her” version?
Matching watches are a unique way to display affection for each other. It is a thoughtful gift that shows unity. We know most couples love this idea, especially when the his and hers watches are from the tremendously iconic Cartier Santos collection…not to mention, when both of those timepieces are bustdown, fully iced out diamond Cartier Santos watches.
For couples who want an outstanding his and hers watch set, it doesn’t get better than the bustdown Cartier Santos his and hers watches we are presenting to you today.
The “His” is a fully flooded new-style Cartier Santos Galbee (Large). The “Hers” is an iced out Cartier Santos 100 (Medium) with a pink leather strap. Both watches are “bust downs”, so the diamonds are aftermarket. But make no mistake, the diamond setting is the best in the business and all the diamonds are of the highest quality.
Below, we will discuss both Cartier Santos watches, including the matching bustdown diamond settings for this watch set.
Cartier Santos – A Brief History
We won’t go too in-depth about the history of the Cartier Santos, as that would take an entire article to do so. What we will say is this…
The Cartier Santos has a very special place in watch history. It is the wristwatch that made wristwatches ubiquitous. Before the Cartier Santos, men would only use pocket watches. At that time, some women were wearing wristwatches, but it still wasn’t really “a thing”. Cartier made wristwatches fashionable with the Cartier Santos (their first ever wristwatch). They were able to do this because they were (and arguably still are) the most influential fashion brand in the world.
After the Cartier Santos hit the market, the wristwatch trend exploded, leaving pocket watches in the dust. It makes sense that people took to the wristwatch, as it is more functional and convenient than the pocket watch. In fact, this is why the Cartier Santos was invented in the first place. Let us explain more…
In 1904, Louis Cartier (the founder of Cartier) got the idea for the Cartier Santos while talking with his good friend Alberto Santos-Dumont about his issue with timekeeping while flying. Alberto Santos-Dumont was using a pocket watch during his flights, which meant he would have to take his hands off the controls. Essentially, Louis Cartier said, “let me create something for you”. And thus, the first Cartier wristwatch was born.
Two years after its creation, Santos-Dumont became the first person filmed in an airplane during flight. Needless to say, he was wearing his specially made Cartier wristwatch.
This feat attracted wide publicity in the press, and of course, people noticed the watch on Santos Dumont’s wrist. Customers of Cartier become very intrigued. So, a few years later, the Cartier wristwatch with the same design went into mass production, and in 2011, Cartier released the Cartier Santos. Named in honor of Louis Cartier’s good friend Santos-Dumont.
Over the decades, there have been many upgrades to the watch and special models within the collection. However, the watch has always kept its original DNA, which is that iconic square porthole-style case. It’s the only true square watch that Cartier sells to this day.
In terms of gender, Cartier has always been brilliant at creating gender-neutral watches that everyone can enjoy. The Cartier Santos is the perfect example of the famous Maisons approach to this. The Cartier Santos is a watch beloved by men and women alike, which makes it the perfect timepiece for a his and her set.
The his and her Cartier Santos watches of today’s feature are newer creations.
For the “His”, it is a new-style Cartier Santos, which was released in 2018. You can immediately tell that it is the newest version as the bezel is no longer perfectly square. Now it slopes down in-between the lugs.
As for the “Hers”, it is a Carter Santos 100, which was released in 2004 to commemorate the Cartier Santos’ 100th anniversary, hence the name Cartier Santos 100. The Cartier Santos 100 line has since been discontinued, as of 2018. However, it is one of the most sought after Cartier Santos models on the secondary market.
BUSTDOWN HIS AND HER CARTIER SANTOS WATCH SET
Before we talk about the watches themselves, we want to discuss the bustdown diamond setting that these two watches share in common, and also make them perfect for a his and hers watch set.
If you aren’t familiar with the term “bustdown”, it simply means the watch has an aftermarket diamond setting. Ergo, the diamond were not set by the Cartier factory.
That said, the diamonds are real and very high grade, and the watches are genuine Cartier Santos’.
Both watches use a pave diamond setting. The exquisite round brilliants are set in rows, pretty much deleting all surface metal of the watches, except the classic Santos screws and the beveled edges that distinguish different components of the watch.
Now, you can clearly see the Cartier Santos Galbee, which is the “His”, has more diamonds, as the watch has a fully iced out bracelet, and the dial is also completely encrusted with diamonds. The Cartier Santos 100, which is the obviously the “Hers”, has a pink leather OEM bracelet and an unadulterated dial. Just the case and the clasp are covered in diamonds, if the word “just” can even be used with such a brilliant watch. Both Santos watches are stunning and extremely rich, yet the His might be considered a little more overstated while the hers is a little more elegant, especially with that gorgeous pink strap.
Both diamond settings were done by an expert gem-setter, who spent countless hours, meticulously choosing and setting diamonds into the watches. The setting is perfect, and you can immediately see this when inspecting both watches. The design is flawless and seamless. Moreover, you can be sure the diamonds will never fall loose.
If you love diamonds, these watches are probably beaming up at you from your screen?.
Let’s talk about the individual watches now, starting with the Cartier Santos Galbee “His” watch.
BUSTDOWN CARTER SANTOS GALBEE LARGE “HIS”
The Cartier Santos collection has seen a few name changes over the years. It started off as the Cartier Santos-Dumont, then it became the Cartier Santos some years later. In 1987, the Santos was updated and relaunched as the Santos Galbee.
While the watch was revised with a more curvaceous-around-the-lugs look, it still had its square case and it was clearly still a Cartier Santos through and through.
The Cartier Santos Galbee was further updated in 2005, to give it a modern case size. Cartier went with the trend of bigger watches, so the Cartier Santos was sized up with a then-new Medium and Large model. The medium Galbee being 35mm x 42mm, and the large Galbee being 40mm x 47.55mm.
The bustdown Cartier Santos you see here is the large model. If you are used to round watches, these dimensions of the Cartier Santos may be a little hard to comprehend in terms of how it will fit on the wrist. So, for context, the large model wears like a 42mm round watch.
With the update in 2005, came a special feature never before seen on the Cartier Santos. That being a date window at the 6 o’clock.
Note: Only the large model has the date window. The medium model does not.
Furthermore, the Cartier Santos Galbee was given an automatic ETA 049 calibre rather than the mostly quartz Galbee’s of the past.
Beyond that, the watch was fairly similar, just more refined and better fitting. It had the porthole style case with a square bezel, the screws that are reminiscent of the Eiffel tower’s legs, and the clean dial with the long slanted Roman numerals that speak to the radial streets of Paris.
It remained this way until 2018, when Cartier made further updates. The bustdown Cartier Santos watch you see here is a product of that.
2018 REVAMP OF THE CARTIER SANTOS
In 2018, we got a new Cartier Santos. The size and styling of the case was the same as the 2005 update (except it was slimmer), as was the dial, but we got a new bezel design, a new engine, and some new patented technology…
Instead of the classic square bezel that the Santos has always had, the new-style Cartier Santos Galbee has a square bezel that slopes down in-between the lugs, as you can see in this pictures of this diamond Cartier Santos “His” watch. The general consensus is the change was for the better. It gives the watch a more integrated, modern appearance, while still keeping its roots intact.
As for the movement, Cartier flexed their horology muscles with a new in-house movement, Calibre 1847 MC. This movement proved to be a very reliable workhorse.
All that was great, but probably the most noteworthy update was with the new innovations the Cartier Santos had. The new watches feature a QuickSwitch and SmartLink System.
The QuickSwitch is a mechanism that allows the bracelet to be swapped out in seconds, without the use of any tools. If you like to switch between a strap and bracelet, you will love this feature. All you have to do is press a small rectangular button underneath the bracelet to release the case.
The SmartLink system allows the wearer to adjust the size of the bracelet without the use of tools. Each link has its own release, so you can quickly resize the bracelet on the go.
Note: The aftermarket diamond setting does not affect any of this Cartier Santos’ functionality.
Overall, the new steel Cartier Santos watch you see here was an instant classic. Since its release, it has been highly sought after by collectors around the world.
If you want to learn more about this specific stainless steel Bustdown Cartier Santos Galbee large model, you can read an in-depth review we recently put out about it.
See full sales listing for this bustdown Cartier watch
BUSTDOWN CARTIER SANTOS 100 “HERS”
In 2004, Cartier launched the Santos 100 collection in honor of the 100-year anniversary of the wristwatch that Louis Cartier made for his pal Santos-Dumont.
The Cartier Santos 100 was an honest modernization of the original Santos. It has two sizes, Large and Medium. The Cartier Santos 100 you see here is the medium in stainless steel, which has shown to appeal more to contemporary ladies.
The watch is very simple and very classic in design. Well, that is, before it was fitted with tons of small round brilliant diamonds. While this bustdown Cartier Santos 100 is clean and elegant, it is undoubtedly extravagant in its shine.
As for the watch itself, it has the classic square porthole case with a square screwed on bezel. Exactly what you would think when someone says “the Cartier Santos”. Albeit, this watch is clearly more refined, robust, and sumptuous than Santos timepieces of the past. There is a wonderful grace to the way the watch curves around the lugs, and it makes for surprisingly comfortable fit. Something not very synonymous with other square watches. Cartier found the perfect balance of edgy and unique, yet round, slim, and comfortable in all the right areas.
It should also be noted that the Cartier Santos 100 has 100 meters of water resistance thanks to the classy geometric screw-down crown and sealed caseback.
As for the dial, it is undeniably Cartier. A dial you can be proud to show off. It has the radial Roman numerals, with an elegant touch original to the Cartier Santos 100 at the VII – part of the V is made up of the word “Cartier”.
Unlike most watches, the Cartier has always featured its minute track on the inside of the hour markers. The Santos 100 is no different. Although, it does have a fresh look.
And then, of course, you have the blue steeled hands, with just the right amount of lume to easily tell the time in the night, without overpowering the face of the watch.
Is it a Quartz movement?
A lot of Cartier Santos watches in the past have taken on quartz movements. But not the Cartier Santos 100. While its not an original in-house movement by Cartier (which would have been amazing), it is a very successful automatic movement by Rolex, the ETA 2892. Thus, you can be confident the movement under the hood is reliable and accurate.
All in all, the Cartier Santos 100 is not only one of watch collector’s favorite Cartier Santos watches, and Cartier watches in general, but it is also among the most coveted watches ever made. It is a classic, iconic timepiece that is an instant status symbol. Wearing this one, full of diamonds, is the ultimate expression of modern yet historical wristwatch fashion.
If you are interested in purchasing this watch, we are selling it for $19,995. It has 10.27 carats of round brilliant diamonds and an original pink Cartier leather bracelet. You won’t find a more stunning, well-done woman’s Bustdown Cartier Santos 100 than this one.
WANT THIS BUSTDOWN CARTIER SANTOS HIS AND HER WATCH SET?
We are selling both of these bustdown Cartier Santos watches at Diamonds By Raymond Lee in Boca Raton. You can buy them online, together or separately, or you can come into our showroom in East Boca to inspect both watches and try them on.
Contact Us for Pricing on this bustdown Cartier Santos His and Her watch Set Now
Sales listing for the Cartier Santos Bustdown “His” Watch
Sales listing for the Cartier Santos Bustdown “Her” Watch
We’ve been selling Cartier watches for nearly 40 years. Over the years, we’ve acquired a large collection of Cartier watches of all types. At Diamonds By Raymond Lee, you can find many versions of the Cartier Tank, Roadster, Ballon Bleu, Pasha de Cartier, and more.
Feel free to ask questions or leave a comment below!