Hands-On: Two Sporty New Variants Of The Cartier Santos — One In Titanium, The Other In Steel With A Black Dial And Lume
By now, everyone is aware that the Santos de Cartier is hot stuff. Cartier has certainly realized this and keeps releasing new versions of its square all-metal sports watch. I still love my Santos Galbée XL ref. 2823. However, as a true Cartier Santos fan, I can’t get enough of all the new variations La Maison comes up with. Today, the brand released two new variations of the large model. The first one has an all-steel construction and a sporty black dial with Super-LumiNova, while the other features an all-titanium case and bracelet with a classic silver dial.
You may have seen the black dial with Super-LumiNova before. There are an all-ADLC Santos de Cartier and another with an ADLC bezel that have the same dial. Titanium also isn’t a new material in the Santos family. However, it’s been away for a while and has now returned, looking better than ever. I don’t think a Santos with a full-titanium bracelet has ever existed, though. Let’s take a closer look.
The Cartier Santos with a black dial and Super-LumiNova
As mentioned, both of these new releases are large models. That means the case is 37.5mm wide (excluding the crown guards), 47.5mm from lug to lug, and 9.38mm thick. The version with the black dial has the classic satin-brushed and polished stainless steel case.
The case features a combination of satin-brushed tops and sides with perfectly polished bevels. These bevels accentuate the Santos’s sexy curves and look great with the all-polished bezel, which flows into the satin-brushed bracelet with polished screws. The bracelet also features the Cartier QuickSwitch system, making it easy to take it off the watch or put it back on. In addition, the SmartLink adjustment system makes it a breeze to size the bracelet.
The black dial displays two finishes. A subtle sunburst texture surrounds the white Roman numerals, while the dial’s center contains a vertical satin-brushed texture. There’s also a date window at 6 o’clock with a matching black background and white numerals. Like the white printing, the hour and minute hands contain a healthy amount of Super-LumiNova for better visibility in darker situations.
With the blue spinel-set seven-sided crown, you can operate Cartier’s 1847 MC caliber. This automatic movement runs at a frequency of 28,800vph, holds a power reserve of 42 hours, and features 23 jewels. The titanium Santos de Cartier features the same movement, but its crown is set with a black spinel instead of a blue one. Let’s see what else is different.
The new titanium Cartier Santos
As mentioned, Santos watches have had titanium cases before. However, I believe this is the first Santos de Cartier with a titanium bracelet. In terms of proportions, it’s the same as the stainless steel version above. At the same time, it feels completely different because it’s much lighter than that watch.
The stainless steel version, with all the links attached, weighs 147 grams, while the titanium version is a whole 50 grams lighter. An added benefit of the Grade 5 Extra Low Interstitial (ELI) titanium is its increased hardness, which keeps scratches at bay for a little longer, especially on the bead-blasted bezel. Grade 5 ELI titanium has fewer interstitial elements — particularly oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and iron. It’s a high-performance titanium alloy prized for its strength, corrosion resistance, and exceptional toughness.
This is one of the few Cartier Santos models with a bead-blasted finish on the bezel. The rest of the case and bracelet also feature a bead-blasted finish, except for the bezel’s edges and the sexy, curvy bevels that run along the case. On the silvery-white dial, we find a finish that’s comparable to the bead-blasted texture on the case. The black Roman numerals, black printing, and blued hands stand out very well against the bright background.
The titanium bracelet, which has a stainless steel butterfly clasp, features Cartier’s QuickSwitch system, so you can easily swap it for a strap. However, the links are held together with flathead screws. This means it’s a bit more difficult to size this bracelet than the stainless steel version with the SmartLink adjustment system.
Thoughts on the black dial
I’ve said this before, but I love the 2002 Asia-limited Santos ref. 2319 with a gray sunburst dial and lumed numerals and hands. Today’s stainless steel Santos de Cartier with the black sunburst and vertically brushed dial reminds me a bit of that version. The black dial looks great with the polished bezel, which also appears black at certain angles. I still prefer any Cartier watch with a white dial and black numerals. However, I was surprised by how much I liked this combination.
Its large size doesn’t suit my 17cm wrist, but in a smaller size, I would definitely consider it. Admittedly, I still prefer the older square bezel that doesn’t flow into the bracelet. However, with the black dial, I find this less of an issue, as the dial and bezel almost look like one big dial from some angles. If you’re more into black dials than white ones, I certainly recommend taking a look at this new Cartier Santos. It’s available now and costs €9,000, the usual price for a large-sized Santos these days.
Getting used to the lightweight titanium
The almost entirely bead-blasted, full-titanium Cartier Santos also surprised all of us in the office. It’s so light, but we also agreed that we’re unsure if this material truly suits the oh-so elegant brand. The slightly darker gray titanium looks a bit warmer than steel, and the finishing is very sharp. At the same time, however, it also looks a bit more clinical. It feels more like a tool than something elegant and desirable. To me, it almost looks like a prototype of a new model. For some reason, this version is a little less playful; it means business. The titanium Cartier Santos is not here to fool around; it’s here to show off its capable and tough self. However, it’s a great option for those looking at the Santos in a larger size but who don’t want to deal with the added weight and are afraid of scratching the normal version’s polished bezel.
The titanium Cartier Santos costs €11,400 and will be available from November. This means there’s a €2,400 difference with the “regular” large-sized Santos in stainless steel. Do you think that’s a justifiable premium to pay for the titanium case and bracelet? And what do you think of these two new releases within the Santos family in general? Let me know in the comments below.
