Cartier Santos vs Explorer Polar

[csaltphoto]

And thanks for the Santos responses. Coming from Rolex enthusiasts they carry a little more weight for me. Forum members are excellent enablers! :)

[worldofoyster]

i am biased, will choose the explorer2

[MrMercedes]

Polar!!

[GregoryZ]

Polar all the way!!

[Kinnakeet]

Originally Posted by csaltphoto

And thanks for the Santos responses. Coming from Rolex enthusiasts they carry a little more weight for me. Forum members are excellent enablers! :)

Yes. You will get more accurate replies from those who own or have owned both than the typical Rolex fanboy who has never seen a Santos in person.

[Harry-57]

Originally Posted by Krash

That’s not true in my case. I like a lot of other watch brands.

It's not true of me either but some people think they can read minds and love to make sweeping statements. It's of no consequence.

[Harry-57]

Originally Posted by lcs77

That was quick. Did you buy it?

[Deep18]

Love the polar, one of my favorite modern Rolex’s. Easy choice.

[Farran]

Cartier is a good one, you can't go wrong with any but for a daily wear Explorer will do the job.

[CarlOver]

The white dial in large is very nice. The black DLC thing for me doesn’t work.m

ExplorerII is one of my favorite current references.

[Flypanam]

I understand the desire for a daily watch, and I think both of these watches could be great daily drivers, however I think it's a kind of weird comparison.

The Exp II is a great watch, and while I still don't own one, it's the watch that first drew my eye towards Rolex. Handled plenty of them. My friend has a 5 digit I've checked out. I've tried them on at the AD plenty of times. It's a really great watch, but this being a Rolex forum, plenty of others have chimed in about it.

Since I own a Santos, maybe I can chime in a bit more about the Cartier. The Santos de Cartier is a design icon, and has a rich history behind it, technically being the first men's wrist watch, first sports watch, etc. No it's not technically a dress watch; it's a steel sports watch, but the design elements like the fume dial, roman numeral indices, high polished surfaces, etc, make it a very dressy option.

I am in love with my blue dial Santos. It comes with some caveats, though. The polished bezel is a scratch magnet, on the same scale as Rolex's polished center links. Thankfully, the high level of polish hides microscratches very well in most light, but in sunlight it really shows, and in general you know they're still there. Not ideal for a daily.

Also will echo what someone else said about the bracelet. What first threw me off is how light it is. It's hollow, but that also allows for the incredibly ingenious adjustment system that requires no tools to swap bands or resize the bracelet/remove links. It's still remarkably solid and comfortable, yet.. feels a little unnaturally light.

The bigger thing for me is the lack of microadjust. My wrist is such that removing 4 links makes it just a tiny bit too tight. Removing 3 links makes it just a little too loose. Through the course of the day, when my wrist is less swollen, it feels better with 4 links gone. Later in the day, it feels better with 3 links gone. I don't mind having it on the looser side sometimes so that when my wrist is bigger it won't be too tight, but some people hate that feeling of a bracelet-clad watch shifting around on their wrist. Good news is that with the super easy tool-less adjustment, you could literally keep a spare link in your wallet and add/remove as necessary.

Another thing is that the movement in the Santos, while being an in-house manufacture caliber, is a little "meh". You can't see it through the closed case back. It's not COSC certified. It has a paltry 42ish hours of power reserve. However, it can take an absolute beating inside a daily watch, just like Rolex calibers. While not COSC, Cartier still manages to keep it well regulated to within a few seconds a day, and mine is consistent at +1 sec/day. It's super thin, and allows the Santos to retain a svelte 9-and-change mm profile while also having a curved case, and with a non-magnetic escapement and anti-shock system. The movement won't let you down, but at the same time, it's not the reason you buy a Santos. Oh, and let me reiterate, the Santos is just a little over 9mm thick, with a curved case that hugs the wrist. It wears incredibly well.

From a value perspective, we all know Rolexes hold their value. Of all the other possible watch brands outside the holy trinity or haute horology, Cartier tends to hold their value well, particularly the Santos. The flagship Santos de Cartier steel XL models on the secondary market go for around $6k, give or take, with a retail of $7750, which is some of the smallest depreciation I've seen outside of the above mentioned brands.

From a pure "daily driver" perspective, either watch could fit the bill, but it depends on what your day normally looks like. If your job requires you to dress up, or you often go to nice dinners, etc, Santos will fit right in as a daily. Exp II is more utilitarian, with primarily brushed surfaces (including that bezel), and a tool watch aesthetic. I personally think it would look goofy with anything but more casual wear, but others will argue otherwise.

Anyway, I still have the Exp II in white very high on my list at the AD, and I also really like my Santos. You can't go wrong. They're both great watches.

[csaltphoto]

Originally Posted by Flypanam

I understand the desire for a daily watch, and I think both of these watches could be great daily drivers, however I think it's a kind of weird comparison.

The Exp II is a great watch, and while I still don't own one, it's the watch that first drew my eye towards Rolex. Handled plenty of them. My friend has a 5 digit I've checked out. I've tried them on at the AD plenty of times. It's a really great watch, but this being a Rolex forum, plenty of others have chimed in about it.

Since I own a Santos, maybe I can chime in a bit more about the Cartier. The Santos de Cartier is a design icon, and has a rich history behind it, technically being the first men's wrist watch, first sports watch, etc. No it's not technically a dress watch; it's a steel sports watch, but the design elements like the fume dial, roman numeral indices, high polished surfaces, etc, make it a very dressy option.

I am in love with my blue dial Santos. It comes with some caveats, though. The polished bezel is a scratch magnet, on the same scale as Rolex's polished center links. Thankfully, the high level of polish hides microscratches very well in most light, but in sunlight it really shows, and in general you know they're still there. Not ideal for a daily.

Also will echo what someone else said about the bracelet. What first threw me off is how light it is. It's hollow, but that also allows for the incredibly ingenious adjustment system that requires no tools to swap bands or resize the bracelet/remove links. It's still remarkably solid and comfortable, yet.. feels a little unnaturally light.

The bigger thing for me is the lack of microadjust. My wrist is such that removing 4 links makes it just a tiny bit too tight. Removing 3 links makes it just a little too loose. Through the course of the day, when my wrist is less swollen, it feels better with 4 links gone. Later in the day, it feels better with 3 links gone. I don't mind having it on the looser side sometimes so that when my wrist is bigger it won't be too tight, but some people hate that feeling of a bracelet-clad watch shifting around on their wrist. Good news is that with the super easy tool-less adjustment, you could literally keep a spare link in your wallet and add/remove as necessary.

Another thing is that the movement in the Santos, while being an in-house manufacture caliber, is a little "meh". You can't see it through the closed case back. It's not COSC certified. It has a paltry 42ish hours of power reserve. However, it can take an absolute beating inside a daily watch, just like Rolex calibers. While not COSC, Cartier still manages to keep it well regulated to within a few seconds a day, and mine is consistent at +1 sec/day. It's super thin, and allows the Santos to retain a svelte 9-and-change mm profile while also having a curved case, and with a non-magnetic escapement and anti-shock system. The movement won't let you down, but at the same time, it's not the reason you buy a Santos. Oh, and let me reiterate, the Santos is just a little over 9mm thick, with a curved case that hugs the wrist. It wears incredibly well.

From a value perspective, we all know Rolexes hold their value. Of all the other possible watch brands outside the holy trinity or haute horology, Cartier tends to hold their value well, particularly the Santos. The flagship Santos de Cartier steel XL models on the secondary market go for around $6k, give or take, with a retail of $7750, which is some of the smallest depreciation I've seen outside of the above mentioned brands.

From a pure "daily driver" perspective, either watch could fit the bill, but it depends on what your day normally looks like. If your job requires you to dress up, or you often go to nice dinners, etc, Santos will fit right in as a daily. Exp II is more utilitarian, with primarily brushed surfaces (including that bezel), and a tool watch aesthetic. I personally think it would look goofy with anything but more casual wear, but others will argue otherwise.

Anyway, I still have the Exp II in white very high on my list at the AD, and I also really like my Santos. You can't go wrong. They're both great watches.

Excellent write up!

[MichelleP]

I am changing my response to the Santos after seeing your signature line and current line up

[DAGMoney]

Have the Santos; used to have the ExpII. Both are great, but very different watches. If I had to pcik one for daily use, it would be the ExpII. Not quite as upscale as the Santos, and postioned more as a GADA type watch.

That said, I wear my Santos as an almost-daily piece, but on the included rubber strap. Don't think I've ever worn the bracelet, though I would far a more formal look.