Hands-On: Cartier Santos de Cartier in Titanium (And Steel) — The Watches You Want From Cartier, Whether You Know It Or Not

Over the years, Cartier has been a hot topic and arguably the most contested brand that editors fight to cover at Hodinkee. And yet, I would generally have ceded the chance to write about the Santos de Cartier. For whatever reason—and I can’t quite tell you what that reason is—the Santos de Cartier was far from my favorite watch. As a lover of the Santos Dumont, I couldn’t understand the obsession with a watch that didn’t speak to me in the same way. 

Taking a step back from personal feelings, the success of the Santos de Cartier makes sense; it’s the sports option for Cartier shoppers, who are often not the ones looking at the broader market. It’s less a watch for the enthusiast market than it is a commercial play. Perhaps you’re someone who typically shops Cartier first (or it’s the first luxury name that comes to mind) and are looking for a watch from the brand that feels sporty. Maybe you’re a general consumer who owns a TAG Heuer Aquaracer or a Tudor Black Bay and want something else from a “classy” brand that still aligns with your sporty sensibilities. Then yes, Santos de Cartier is the watch for you. But for enthusiasts, the Santos de Cartier in titanium finally feels more like a fully-formed sports watch than ever before.

There were two releases recently: one in steel with a black dial and one in titanium with a white dial, which helped me (as someone who hasn’t tried a Santos de Cartier in a while) fully understand the differences in the two metals’ wearing experiences. One of the things that makes the model a complicated watch for me to love (and for some others to wear) is its boldness. The bracelet’s riveted structure adds visual heft to the watch, compounded by the black dial on the new steel version. The vertically brushed center dial, with its contrast to the plain outer dial, adds complexity. There’s also lume (though I admittedly neglected to check that out, as it’s not what I think of for a Cartier).

The case features the standard touches, including polished chamfers, brushed sides, a brushed bracelet, and a high-polished bezel. There’s no part of the case finishing that strikes me as lacking thought. But I think the bold case design, along with the bracelet, makes the watch look and feel bigger than its 39.8mm square dimensions suggest. That’s one of the things I often have a visceral reaction to. The large Santos de Cartier (like this model) often looks and feels very large to me, and when I see someone wearing an XL model, I can’t say it has ever looked appropriate to their wrist. When I put on the stainless steel model, it didn’t feel particularly overbearing, but it kind of looked it on my wrist. 

And yet, there’s no arguing that the Santos de Cartier is anything but a very wearable, well-designed watch in the aggregate. The case shape is considered, hugging my 7.25″ wrist well. The bracelet is tight but not cumbersome; the deployant clasp never feels too finicky or too loose. The bracelet can be swapped for the additional strap with the QuickSwitch system. But the stainless steel model didn’t speak to me the same way the Santos Dumont does. However, when I eventually tried the titanium model, it was a wildly different experience that helped me understand the core of what the Santos de Cartier is, rather than what I wanted it to be.

In titanium, the model is quite surprising on many levels. Cartier has always felt like a brand that is (in the best ways) oblivious to the rest of the watch market and willing to make their own version of the watch without any outsized influence. But while titanium makes sense for Tudor, it surprises for Cartier in a way that feels like the influence of the outside market has finally cracked the “Temples'” facades. 

It also feels like the brand is setting itself up for a stronger, more diverse catalog that can withstand future market shifts, which is smart but something I’ve never felt from the brand before. As the market faces increasing uncertainty (whether in the watch market or the global economy), brands need viable core models that reach as many consumers as possible to strengthen their stability. 

The Santos de Cartier in titanium is surprising in other ways. After handling the steel version, the titanium itself is shockingly light. The watch weighs approximately 97 grams in titanium versus 147 grams in steel, which makes an impression. If I were to make the watch more enthusiast-oriented, I think I would have preferred a black dial, like that of the steel model above. Titanium is naturally a sportier metal, and black is equally so for a dial color. Combined with the fact that this is the brand’s large model, measuring 39.8mm wide and 9.38mm thick, inclines the watch to a bolder wearability.

The dial features the brand’s standard and iconic Roman numeral layout with “railroad” track for the minutes and a central seconds display and blued hands. There’s also the date at 6 o’clock, which again feels like a design oriented around wide-scale commercial viability. The 7 o’clock hour display also shows the brand’s secret signature.

The surprise of the titanium experience goes further than just weight. The brand has made a lot of effort to get the texture and finishing on the case to be both varied and comfortable. The soft and relatively smooth bead-blasted finish is comfortable in the hand and not at all too rough, but what is really impressive to me is how well they’ve been able to pull a high-polished sheen out of the sculpted edges of the head of the watch. According to Cartier, this is hand-done and adds a bit of human touch to what could otherwise feel like a very industrial product.

The major differentiator between this and the Santos Dumont, and the thing that becomes a “love-it-or-hate-it” part of the Santos de Cartier is the part that’s quintessential to its design: the bracelet. The watch comes with a titanium bracelet with a QuickSwitch system that allows the watch to be quickly and easily put on an additional included alligator strap with a folding clasp by using a button between the lugs. 

This is a step up from my personal Santos Dumont, which only has a normal buckle. However, the proprietary system for these watches means that, although the end of the strap fits flush, it can be somewhat stiff and less comfortable on the wrist at the lug. The titanium bracelet also doesn’t feature SmartLink, the quick sizing found on steel models, due to incompatibility with the titanium material.

You can look at the photos below to see how the watch fits on my 7.25″ wrist. The slight curve to the case seems to hug my wrist perfectly, so I can’t deny that Cartier has made a very comfortable watch from a design standpoint. However, the large model does wear much bigger than the nearly 40mm sizing might imply. That’s because the case is incredibly square, with the corners sticking out far more than the curvature of a round 40mm case. However, I think that through the lens of a commercial product, boldness will serve the brand better long-term as the brand builds an audience for this watch.

Yes, I agree with most people in the enthusiast space that thought that Cartier would have been well-served to start here with a medium-sized, black-dialed Santos de Cartier. In fact, it might have been the watch that fully converted me to the model. Yet, despite my minor qualms, I do trust Cartier’s design sensibilities more than nearly any other brand. 

It’s the old directorial adage of “one for them, one for me,” when it comes to working with film studios. Take a look at Tudor’s recent release of an oversized Black Bay 68—a watch designed to capture more market share from general consumers. This is the watch we need from Cartier if we want them to find overall stability and success. They’ve made the right choice for the brand’s long-term watch sales strategy and, if the past is any guide, we’ll likely see the enthusiast-oriented model sooner rather than later. 

As for the “one for me,” I’m going to happily wear and love my recently-acquired Santos Dumont “Darth” with black lacquered bezel, which blends sportiness and elegance in a way that speaks to me as a Cartier lover, at least until I see the next “one for me.”

For more about the Cartier Santos in Titanium, visit the brand’s website.