Hands-On With The New Cartier Santos-Dumont In Full Gold Or Platinum With A Bracelet

At Watches and Wonders, we see many watches, of course. It’s actually not the best place to see watches, though. During the “touch & try” sessions, watches are passed around quickly as everyone tries to take as many pictures as possible. Cartier is notoriously one of the most watch-heavy sessions, as the brand usually presents many new references. Even though my time with the new Santos-Dumont was short, it certainly left a lasting impression.

Luckily, Jorg already wrote a comprehensive introduction to the new Cartier Santos-Dumont and its metal bracelet. If you’re looking for all the necessary specs, please take a look at his article. Here, I’ll mainly focus on the hands-on experience I had.

The Cartier Santos-Dumont with a new bracelet

During the meeting with Cartier, I was mainly waiting for the Santos models to be passed around. My Santos Galbée XL is my favorite watch, and I’m always curious to see what the brand has in store for the collection. The new Santos-Dumont, with two references in full gold and another in full platinum, wasn’t a surprise anymore. However, I was very much looking forward to trying out the new bracelet.

I had the pleasure of seeing the 18K gold Santos-Dumont with the black obsidian dial and the one in 950 platinum with the silver dial in person. Both impressed me right away with their weight. The full-metal bracelets add a substantial amount of heft to the overall package. This turns the usually daintier Santos-Dumont into a more robust timepiece.

The 15-row bracelet is fully polished and matches the square bezel perfectly. The cases feature an almost entirely brushed finish, which causes a nice play of light among the differently finished surfaces.

The full-gold Cartier Santos-Dumont with an obsidian dial

It’s hard to pick a favorite among the three available versions, but the full-gold version with a black obsidian dial is a strong contender. The 0.3mm-thick polished and gilded volcanic stone on the dial isn’t completely black; rather, it’s somewhere in between black and very dark gray. It also features a fine texture that makes it interesting to look at. The gold Roman numerals, Cartier logo, and hands stand proudly above it and match the yellow gold exterior perfectly.

The full-platinum Cartier Santos-Dumont with a silver sunburst dial

Next is the full-platinum model with the silver sunburst dial. This one reminded me of my Santos Galbée XL, which I was also wearing at the time. The platinum bracelet almost makes the Cartier Santos-Dumont feel like a proper sports watch. However, the 7.3mm-thin case and the slim bracelet make it clear that this is the more elegant member of the family.

The silver sunburst dial with black Roman numerals and blued hands is classic Cartier. I like how it keeps the overall look very monochromatic, and the blued hands stand out nicely against the silver background. As always, the red ruby tells you the case is made of platinum.

The friction-fit butterfly clasp on the bracelet is almost identical to the one on my Santos Galbée XL. I happen to like the fact that you can simply pull the links to open the clasp and press them together to close it. Still, I’m sure others would’ve preferred a push-button operated clasp.

What do you think?

I know a light-colored dial can pair very well with a yellow gold watch, so I’m sure the silver sunburst dial looks great in the 18K gold Cartier Santos-Dumont. However, I haven’t seen that one in person, so for now, I’ll go with the yellow gold version with the black obsidian dial. What about you? Which one would you choose? Let me know in the comments below.