Rectangular/ Square watches? Not too many come to mind, what does come to mind is the Santos de Cartier!
If you replace this entire phrase to question what is the most iconic watches in the world, the one watch that 100% will make it to the list is Santos de Cartier. If you didn’t know already, Cartier Santos was the first men’s wristwatch ever made in 1904. So, what we are looking at is not just something that has history and legacy of over a century, but it’s also the first watch that arguably gave us the concept of wristwatch for men. Prior to this point wrist watches were only considered a jewelry and were only made for women.
The Wristwatch
The watch was made for a Brazilian pilot and aviation evolutionary, Alberto Santos-Dumont, so that he can keep both hands on the aircraft controls and don’t have to fiddle with a pocket watch to keep time. Planes and Flying was in its early days and him wearing the watch when people would come to see the marvel of a flying man, the wristwatch was taken as something an evolutionary would wear. People wanted to copy their idols, and the watch makers followed, thus started the industry of wrist watches for men. The world’s first men’s wristwatch is also the first pilot/aviator watch.
Another very interesting fact about the Santos de Cartier is that it’s not just a watch with the longest heritage but it also is the one that retains the iconic and original looks for over 100 years. The original Santos designed and made was in this square case shape, the bezel had the exact screws on it and were left exposed as a homage to the exposed screws of the Eiffel tower. Even the dial was white, and the hour markers were Roman numerals. Looking at this watch after nearly 120 years, when you see exactly those design and execution elements on the watch, you can truly appreciate what a timepiece of history it is that you’re looking at.
The Real Size:
We are looking at the medium case reference WSSA0029 which cartier state is a 35mm case size. Now it is worth mentioning that this is a very popular case size both for men and women, although when you hear 35mm, what comes to mind is an impression of a watch that is small, and smaller than what you’d expect, for argument’s sake, from the Rolex Datejust 36. But this doesn’t look or seem to wear all that small, so why is that?
Santos de Cartier vs Rolex Date Just size comparison:
In reality the square case watches wear much bigger than their marketed case size. Reason being, it is 35mm when measured horizontally across the case and without the crown or crown guards included. We have set the benchmark to measure watch cases from 2 to 8’o clock position and doing the same, this same medium sized Cartier Santos measures 40mm. So, while it’s a watch that is 35mm, on the wrist it gives the experience of a slightly bigger watch and fills the wrist beautifully and elegantly. A 36mm round watch like the Rolex DateJust is 36.8mm from 2 to 8 position. This is the reason a rectangular shaped watch like the Santos de Cartier fills the wrist more and has more heft to it than its spec.
An inherent attribute with the medium Santos is that the dial doesn’t have the date window. This not only makes the dial a little less cluttered and more symmetrical, but it’s also true to the original design from 1904. The date comes in the large case models and if you absolutely need to see the date on the dial, you’re covered, just not with the medium size.
The Curves:
The Santos medium wears beautifully and contours to the wrist like a dream. Originally the Santos was much straighter, this subtle contour was an evolutionary step which was introduced in 1987 to make the watch more comfortable and hug the wrist. The Crystal on top is also curved, so it’s not only curved at its back where it hugs the wrist, the crystal and front of the watch has also been curved to give it a jewelry like shape. It is a recipe which has been perfected over 100 years.
The Luxury Steel Sports Watch:
During the seventies Audemars Piguet and Patek Phillipe came up with their luxury Sport watches, the Royal Oak (1972) and the Nautilus (1976) in stainless-steel case & integrated bracelets. This was the time when Cartier revised the Santos de Cartier with a steel bracelet in a stainless-steel case (1978). This was the first time Santos de Cartier or any cartier watch was made in stainless steel, historically they were only offered in precious metal.
Since it is an integrated bracelet watch, instead of the lug to lug, I measured the watch’s maximum span internally, which is only 42.5mm. What that means is that you only need a wrist span of 44mm or more to be able to wear it without any problems. My wrist size is 6.5” and the wrist span is 55m in these photos. The watch further comes with an easy bracelet adjustment system.
The white dial and blue hands are the original configuration of the Santos watches, checkout this watch in the Calibre24 shop area
The Bezel:
The bezel of Santos is polished stainless-steel with exposed screws on it. Bezel is the place where a watch gets most dings and scratches. Most of the high-end brands have moved to ceramic bezels to overcome the scratching issue. This is not the case with Santos which still comes with a steel bezel and is prone to scratches. However, there is a diamond bezel Santos which solves this issue as the diamonds cover the whole surface of the bezel. Usually diamond covered bezels might be a bit much for some people, but with the Santos’ exposed screws it looks very original. It has the bling but also subdued by the naked screws. I think this is one of the best diamond bezel watches. Both these watches are available at calibre24 store. Click here to explore the complete range of Cartier watches at Calibre24.
Bracelet Adjustment System:
The Santos de Cartier is a representation of evolution, with constant improvements and innovations which made it what it is today, and its bracelet is no exception. The Easy link system is how you can size the bracelet without the need for any tools at all. Add that to the easy replace system and you can exchange the bracelet with another strap in a minute without using any tools. The Santos comes with an additional leather strap.
Final Remarks:
Is it a watch that I would personally recommend? I mean there’s practically nothing I can find against this historic watch. It is beautiful, its simple, its historic and iconic, it has a fascinating origin story, its integrated bracelet with a fine design and distinctive looks. Above all, on the wrist, it makes you feel special and offers the experience that you’d expect from a luxury watch. So what is it not to like?
