The Cartier Santos looks back on more than 100 years of history. With a square case, Roman numerals, and precious materials like 18-karat gold, this luxury watch is unmistakable in its appearance.

By René Herold

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Cartier's Square Icon

The Santos collection is by far the oldest line of watches still produced by the French luxury jewelry and watch manufacturer Cartier. It was first designed in 1904 and has largely retained its characteristic design to this day. Then as now, a square case, an equally square dial with Art Deco Roman numerals, and a bezel with intentionally visible decorative screws characterize the look of the Cartier Santos.

Cartier Santos de Cartier in stainless steel

While the Santos' design has changed very little over the years, that's not the case for its materials and movements. In addition to different types of gold, you will find Santos watches in stainless steel, titanium, and ceramic, as well as in various two-tone editions. Cartier also offers models in men's and women's sizes.

While the Santos is traditionally a two or three-hand watch, today there are plenty of Santos timepieces with a chronograph function, moon phase display, or tourbillon. You can also choose from versions with quartz or mechanical calibers, including an increasing number of in-house movements over the past years.

Cartier Santos Variants

Santos-Dumont: Design very close to the 1904 original
Santos de Cartier: Sporty reinterpretation of the Santos design
Santos 100: Predecessor of the Santos de Cartier with a masculine design
Santos Galbée: Modern Santos with softer lines
Santos Skeleton: Santos de Cartier with skeletonized dial and caliber
Santos Demoiselle: Santos ladies' version

The History of the Cartier Santos

At the beginning of the 20th century, Alberto Santos-Dumont, a Brazilian living in France, was one of the leading figures in motorized aviation. In 1904, Santos-Dumont went to his friend, Louis Cartier, and asked him to create a watch he could use during flight without taking his hands off the controls. Cartier immediately went to work and soon presented the aviation pioneer with the Santos – the world's first real men's wristwatch.

In 1906, Santos-Dumont completed the first public flight with a motorized plane. During the flight, which set many world records, Santos-Dumont wore a unique square wristwatch. Demand for the watch quickly increased, leading Cartier to begin series production of the Santos in 1911.

Price Overview: Cartier Santos

Model, reference number	Price (approx.)	Price development *
Santos de Cartier Skeleton, WHSA0010	87,296.28 AUD	+/- 0%
Santos 100 XL Chronograph, W20090X8	22,918.4 AUD	+/- 0%
Santos de Cartier / WSSA0029	11,669.85 AUD	+2%
Santos-Dumont / W2SA0012	9,409.79 AUD	-2%
Santos Galbée / 187901	6,906.94 AUD	+16%
*Annual average

How much does the Cartier Santos cost?

Top models such as the Santos 100 XL Tourbillon with a white gold case, diamond setting, and flying tourbillon can easily be priced at over 200,000 USD. At the other end of the price scale, however, there are also examples that start at around 3,000 USD in unworn condition. Most of these watches come from the Santos Galbée series, which debuted in 1987 and was in production for around 20 years. There are also plenty of two-tone watches with quartz movements.

Current models, such as the Santos-Dumont or the Santos de Cartier, cost between 4,500 and 8,500 USD unworn in the stainless steel version, depending on the size and caliber. Their gold counterparts sell for anywhere from 9,000 to 20,000 USD. If you're interested in a skeletonized model, be sure to have between 27,000 and 55,000 USD on hand.

If you want a Cartier Santos with a chronograph function, you should budget between approximately 10,000 and 29,000 USD, depending on the model, size and material. Models with a moon phase display cost around 5,100 to 16,000 USD, depending on the material.

How has the Cartier Santos performed?

The watches in the Cartier Santos range have proven to be quite stable in value. Prices have changed only minimally in recent years. In spring 2025, there are also no signs that this trend will change in the foreseeable future.

Santos de Cartier: A Modern Classic

Cartier released a new version of the Santos de Cartier in 2018. Its relaxed take on the usually angular bezel took the watch industry by surprise. The edges curve and transition seamlessly into the bracelet. This effect is particularly noticeable in two-tone models.

Santos de Cartier Chronograph

The collection also includes chronographs. These have a particularly large case size of 43.3 mm. They run on the in-house 1904 CH3 MC caliber. This movement has a minute and hour counter at 3 and 9 o'clock, respectively, as well as a date display and small seconds at 6. A pusher at 9 o'clock operates the chronograph function. A simple press of the crown resets the chronograph to its starting position. Like the three-hand models, the Santos de Cartier Chronograph is available in gold, stainless steel, or as a two-tone watch.

Skeletonized Santos Models

Some of the collection's other top models belong to the Santos de Cartier Skeleton series. As the name implies, these watches boast intricate skeletonization. Cartier crafts these timepieces without a dial surface, instead manufacturing the manual 9611 MC movement so that the bridges display the Roman numerals 3, 6, 9, and 12 and serve as the watch’s dial. The overall design is extremely modern.

Santos de Cartier Dual Time with second time zone

Since 2024, the Santos de Cartier collection has also included models with a second time zone display. The models bear the name Santos de Cartier Dual Time, measure 40.2 mm x 47.5 mm, and are made of stainless steel. The dial is metallic gray and has a subdial with a 12-hour display at 6 o'clock which shows the time in the second time zone. To differentiate between day and night hours, the watch also has a corresponding indicator located at the top of the subdial. A date at 3 o'clock completes the watch's features. A stainless steel or alligator leather strap are available as strap options.

Santos-Dumont: Back to the Roots

If you are looking for a watch that is particularly close to the first Santos from 1904, you should take a closer look at the Cartier Santos-Dumont series. These modern timepieces share the original's square case, prominent bezel with eight exposed screws, and beaded crown with a blue cabochon. The dials also have a classic design. The only difference to the original is that the railroad minute scale is now located on the outer edge of the dial instead of in the center.

Precise quartz calibers power the women's and unisex models. In 2020, Cartier launched the Santos-Dumont XL with the in-house manual caliber 430 MC. The Santos-Dumont is available in stainless steel, gold, or as a two-tone model.

Santos-Dumont Skeleton with microrotor

The Cartier Santos-Dumont Skeleton is a visually remarkable variant of the watch. Its 9629 MC caliber is elaborately skeletonized and equipped with a micro-rotor at 7 o'clock. You can buy the timepiece, which is just 8 mm thick, in a stainless steel or rose gold version. Alligator leather straps hold the watch securely on the wrist.

Santos-Dumont Rewind shows the time backwards

In spring 2024, a rather unusual representative joined the Santos-Dumont collection: the Santos-Dumont Rewind, limited to 200 pieces with the reference WGSA0102. With its 31.4 mm x 43.5 mm platinum case and cardinal red lacquered dial, the watch looks like a normal Santos-Dumont at first glance. However, if you take a closer look, you can see that the numerals on the dial are arranged in the opposite direction clock hands typically travel. The simple reason for this: the clock shows the time backwards! The manual caliber 230 MC, a modified version of the 430 MC caliber, makes this possible.

Larger Dimensions: The Santos 100

Cartier introduced the Santos 100 series in 2004 in honor of the timepiece’s 100th anniversary. The Parisian company ceased production of this model in 2018. Unlike the small and delicate original from 1904, the Santos 100 keeps up with modern trends. Its case is much larger and has a more masculine look. Dimensions of up to 41.3 mm x 51 mm speak for themselves, and are particularly suitable for men's wrists. A protected crown further enhances this strong impression. However, it still maintains some details from the original Santos, including a square stainless steel case with rounded edges, a bezel with exposed screws, and Roman numeral hour markers. Most models get their power from a modified ETA 2892 movement.

The Cartier Santos 100 is available in stainless steel, two-tone stainless steel and yellow gold, as well as a black-coated titanium version. This series is also home to a line of chronographs.

Santos Demoiselle: Designed for Women

The Cartier Santos-Dumont and Santos 100 collections also offer plenty of women's watches. These are smaller in size, and have a great feminine design. Cartier markets the Santos Demoiselle as a series of women's watches. These timepieces have smaller cases measuring 24 × 18.7 mm or 28.25 × 21.65 mm, and are perfect for slimmer wrists.

Cartier replaced the series a few years ago with the Panthère de Cartier, which differs from the Santos Demoiselle mainly with its special five-piece link bracelet.

FAQs

Who wears a Cartier Santos?

Celebrity wearers of the Cartier Santos include Jake Gyllenhaal, Rami Malek, and Tom Cruise. Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, and Jennifer Aniston have also been seen with a Santos.

Is the Cartier Santos rare?

The Cartier Santos has been part of the Parisian Maison's range since 1904, and has been issued in numerous variations since then. This also includes some limited editions, which are sought-after collector's items due to their small number.