The Cartier Santos is the watch that people who do not want a Rolex tend to end up with, and increasingly the watch that people who already own a Rolex buy next. It is square where almost everything else is round, it wears its screws on the outside, and it has a claim to being the first purpose-built wristwatch for men. It is also, on the pre-owned market, one of the more confusing families to buy into: two case sizes, several metals, a slimmer sister model called the Santos-Dumont and a run of older shapes with names like Galbée and Santos 100. This guide is meant to make choosing one simple.
Where the Santos comes from
In 1904 Louis Cartier made a watch for his friend Alberto Santos-Dumont, the Brazilian aviator, who wanted to read the time while flying without letting go of the controls. The result was a flat, square wristwatch with a leather strap and visible screws on the bezel. Cartier put a version on public sale in 1911, and it has been in the catalogue, in one form or another, ever since. The current Santos de Cartier line dates from a full redesign in 2018, and that redesign is the reason the model is so popular now.
The current Santos de Cartier: medium or large
The 2018 relaunch introduced two sizes and two features that changed how the watch is lived with.
QuickSwitch lets you release the bracelet or strap with a press of a hidden tab under the case — no tools.
SmartLink lets you remove bracelet links by pushing a small button on the link itself, so you can size the bracelet at home.
Both sizes run Cartier's in-house calibre 1847 MC, an automatic movement with roughly 40 hours of reserve, and both are rated to 100 metres water resistance. So the answer to "are they automatic" is yes for the Santos de Cartier medium and large; the picture is different for the Santos-Dumont, which we come to below.
Cartier Santos large
Roughly 39.8mm across and just under 10mm thick, with a date window at six o'clock. On the wrist it sits closer to a 40mm round watch than the numbers suggest, because a square case has more surface area than a round one of the same width. This is the reference most male buyers choose, and the steel version with a silvered dial is the one we sell most of. See the Santos WSSA0018 listing, which Oakbury keeps as a sourceable reference across production years.
Cartier Santos medium
Roughly 35.1mm across with no date, which gives the dial a cleaner look. It is often filed as the Cartier Santos ladies' model, and many women do wear it, but it is also the choice for a man with a smaller wrist or anyone who prefers a watch that disappears under a cuff. Do not dismiss it on the basis of the word "medium".
Colour and metal
Steel with a silvered dial is the default. The blue dial is the one most buyers ask for after that — Oakbury has a 2023 Santos WSSA0048 in blue in stock at the time of writing — and there are green and black dial variants as well as the Cartier Santos skeleton, which puts the movement on show. The two-tone steel and yellow gold Santos is a distinct step up in price and in presence; the W2SA0016 listing show the range Oakbury can source.
Santos-Dumont: the dressier alternative
The Cartier Santos-Dumont, reintroduced in 2019, is the closest thing to the original 1904 watch: flatter, on a leather strap, with a smaller crown and a more restrained bezel. Most Santos-Dumont references use a high-autonomy quartz movement, which is why the case is so thin; a hand-wound mechanical version exists at a higher price. If you want a Santos to wear with a suit rather than at the weekend this is the one to try. For the mechanical route, Oakbury lists the Santos-Dumont WSSA0032 the 46mm extra-large model with hand-wound movement, as a sourceble reference.
Older shapes: Galbée and Santos 100
Before 2018 the Santos came in several shapes that you will still see on the pre-owned market, and some buyers actively prefer them.
Santos Galbée. A curved-case version from the 1980s onwards, in steel, two-tone or gold, in small and midsize cases, most commonly on quartz. Compact and very wearable, and usually the most accessible way into the family; searches for the Cartier Santos Galbee still outnumber those for the Santos 100. Oakbury currently has a Santos Galbée 2319 from around 2000 in stock.
Santos 100. Launched in 2004 for the centenary, this was the larger, chunkier Santos with a thick bezel and a rubber or leather strap. It reads as a distinctly 2000s watch, which is either its charm or its problem depending on who you ask.
Questions we are asked about the Santos
Is a Cartier Santos waterproof?
The current Santos de Cartier is rated to 100 metres, which covers swimming, showering and the rain. It is not a dive watch and the Santos-Dumont and older Galbée models carry lower ratings, so check the specific reference before you take it near the water. On any pre-owned watch, ask when the seals were last replaced.
Does a Cartier Santos scratch easily?
The bezel and bracelet have large flat polished surfaces, and polished steel shows hairline marks sooner than brushed. That is true of every polished watch and it is not a fault. A light polish at service brings it back; over-polishing, on the other hand, softens the bezel edges and the screw heads and is the thing to look out for when buying pre-owned.
Does the Cartier Santos come with two straps?
New from Cartier, the Santos de Cartier medium and large are supplied with both the steel bracelet and a leather strap, along with the QuickSwitch system to swap between them. On the pre-owned market the second strap is frequently missing. If it matters to you, ask before you agree a price.
Do Cartier Santos watches hold their value?
We are a watch dealer, not a financial adviser, so we will not answer that as a financial question. As a market observation, demand for the steel Santos de Cartier has been strong since the 2018 relaunch and pre-owned examples in good condition with box and papers move quickly. Buy it because you want to wear a square watch with screws on the front. That is the only reason that holds up.
What to check when buying pre-owned
Serial and reference. Engraved on the caseback. The reference (the WSSA number) tells you exactly which size, metal and dial you are looking at, so check it matches what is being described.
QuickSwitch and SmartLink. Press the tab and swap the strap. Push the SmartLink buttons. Both should work cleanly; stiff or sticking mechanisms mean the watch has been mistreated or over-polished around the case.
Bezel screws. They should all be present, all aligned as Cartier set them, and free of chewed slots. Damaged screw heads are the single most common cosmetic issue on this watch.
Crown and sapphire cabochon. The blue stone in the crown should be intact and seated. On older Galbée models it is often replaced; that is fine, but the replacement should sit flush.
Papers and warranty. Cartier's warranty is worth having. Without it, the watch should be priced accordingly.
The dealer's process. Every watch Oakbury sells goes through the Oakbury Assurance process: the customer verified, the watch inspected by one of our watchmakers, the transaction reviewed by senior management before it completes.
Prices on the pre-owned market
We deliberately keep exact prices out of articles because they date quickly. As a guide, a pre-owned steel Santos de Cartier, medium or large, typically sits in the mid single-figure thousands, with a blue or green dial a little above the silvered one. The Santos-Dumont on quartz is generally similar or slightly below. Two-tone and gold references sit well above steel, and a good Galbée is often the most accessible entry point of all. The live listing is the only place to find the exact figure.
Buying from Oakbury
Everything we have in stock or can source from the Santos family is on the Cartier collection page. If you want a specific reference, dial or year that is not shown, our watch sourcing service works through private channels to find it. If you are moving on from a round watch, our sell or part-exchange service will make a considered offer on what you have.
The medium-or-large question is best settled on the wrist. Our four boutiques in Lichfield, London, Brighton and Liverpool are by appointment — contact us and we will put both sizes in front of you.