Cartier Santos WSSA0039, ADLC, black

[BillA]

I normally do not write a review but I did not see one of these watches and have been a Rolex buyer in the past. So this review is first impressions and wearing watch for a few hours.

Short Back Story: I normally buy Rolex, but I refuse to pay grey prices for hard to get SS Sport models. I do not have a relationship with a Rolex AD, so my chances are slim. I decided to look elsewhere for my next luxury piece. Just by chance I ran across this from a dealer on TRF

This review will be mostly first impressions because I have had the watch on my wrist for just a few hours.

The watch is light, sleek, and very stealthy looking. The all black on the bezel and case make it like no other Santos model I have ever seen or liked in the past. It comes with 2 straps, a rubber and black alligator. The straps are easy to remove at the lugs and clasp with just a push of a button. The rubber strap which is on the watch now is thicker at the top near the lugs and thinner as you move towards the deployment clasp. The small screws on each side of the strap are very interesting. I suspect the rubber strap will stretch over time because of the thinness of it. Cartier has you locked into one of their straps because of the way the strap slides in at the lugs. The rubber strap is very comfortable, have not tried the alligator strap, it is also thin and beautifully appointed. The watch is thin so it slides easily under a long sleeve shirt and I think looks very cool with a short sleeve shirt on. Cartier boxes are beautifully made and fit so nicely together.

Cartier states the material on the bezel and case is ADLC (Amorphous Diamond-Like Carbon). They say it is highly elastic, hard and extraordinary smooth. They say it is scratch free (we shall see) and finger print proof. So far so good on the latter. The 0039 is all black (bezel and case). Another version is the 0037 which has the black bezel but more of a SS look on the clasp. I think the all black is the way to go. If you want the other version (0037) it comes with the rubber strap and metal bracelet. You would not buy that bracelet for the 0039 because the colors don't work.

The Cartier warranty is 2 years on the movement, but you can go online and extend it to 8 years, who does not like that?

As stated above the watch comes with 2 bracelets and 1 deployment clasp. Each bracelet, the rubber or alligator has small holes in it for the clasp to catch and it does not need to be cut, it slides under the strap very neatly. Here are some pictures I previously posted on an Incoming thread. My pictures are just fair, especially the black alligator strap, it is really a nice dainty piece, well stitched. There is a small metal tool that comes with the watch. I do not know what it is there for, perhaps it is for the metal bracelet version.