How does Cartier Santos stack up against Rolex?

[subtona]

Closest competition made.
Great daily wear with great water resistance.

And it’s thinner, which is most always welcome.
Prefer the medium size without the date.

[codecow]

Santos is great and has a lot of things going for it, but the bracelet feel is not as good as Rolex. For a thinner bracelet it also compares poorly to something like a Nautilus.

With that said, if you like how they look then they’re great. I like mine.

[RTG]

Santos is an incredible, beautiful timepiece and the bracelet is an amazing piece of engineering. My wife and I share a WWSA0037 and we both love it. With its easy change straps and bracelet that can be resized in seconds, the Santos offers a million times more flexibility than any Rolex. I prefer the Cartier over all Rolex dress options. As for a daily watch, I believe the Rolex has a more robust design and movement, which better suits my life on most days.

[1William]

Originally Posted by RTG

Santos is an incredible, beautiful timepiece and the bracelet is an amazing piece of engineering. My wife and I share a WWSA0037 and we both love it. With its easy change straps and bracelet that can be resized in seconds, the Santos offers a million times more flexibility than any Rolex. I prefer the Cartier over all Rolex dress options. As for a daily watch, I believe the Rolex has a more robust design and movement, which better suits my life on most days.

Good observations and I agree.

[dmottley]

I own a Santos, Seadweller, and GMT Master II. All are well built. The Rolex watches will take more of a beating. The Santos is the most comfortable watch that I have and has a great quick release strap system.

[APhound]

Just got one. It’s very nice and elegant looking. Not as sporty as Rolex but probably equally nice in a different way. Would come more down to taste/ style vs quality here in my opinion. I have many Rolex and doubt I’ll have another Cartier for whatever that’s worth.


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[RoRoRo]

Originally Posted by APhound

Just got one. It’s very nice and elegant looking. Not as sporty as Rolex but probably equally nice in a different way. Would come more down to taste/ style vs quality here in my opinion. I have many Rolex and doubt I’ll have another Cartier for whatever that’s worth.


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This is a stunning piece

[kbw]

Originally Posted by AAMD11

I said my two cents but I’ll chime in again. For me, personally, I find the Santos and Cartier overall to be a more elegant watch, brand. Between Rolex OP, DJ I’ll take a Santos, and I put my money on it. The versatility is there as is the elegance. Cheers!

Great looking watch :)

Is the bezel the scratch magnet it looks like?

[Llamathurst]

Just got the new blue large. It's a bit less robust than a Rolex, but super comfortable, pretty accurate and unique looking. I've had almost every Rolex in the catalog at some point, but only one previous Cartier. I had the Roadster, got rid of it a while back, but really glad to have a Cartier back in the mix.

[Llamathurst]

I'll also say, that the bezel isn't really the scratch magnet everybody makes it out to be. No more or no less than any polished bezel on any watch. Hit it with a sunshine cloth every now and then, and you're set.

[-dustin]

Originally Posted by Llamathurst

I'll also say, that the bezel isn't really the scratch magnet everybody makes it out to be. No more or no less than any polished bezel on any watch. Hit it with a sunshine cloth every now and then, and you're set.

Agree with this guy. Polished bezel hasn't been nearly the scratch magnet I thought it was gonna be.

Curious - anyone own/ wear both the M and L? Kinda feel like the M might work a little better on strap, but I haven't yet actually worn my L on a strap. Just love the bracelet too much, and think it looks a bit cleaner. So...debating a M Santos or a Tank.

[AAMD11]

Originally Posted by kbw

Great looking watch :)

Is the bezel the scratch magnet it looks like?

Not as bad as they say, but alas when I service it years down the road Cartier replaced the bezel itself (screw in) so I’m not too concerned. Cheers

[AAMD11]

Originally Posted by -dustin

Agree with this guy. Polished bezel hasn't been nearly the scratch magnet I thought it was gonna be.

Curious - anyone own/ wear both the M and L? Kinda feel like the M might work a little better on strap, but I haven't yet actually worn my L on a strap. Just love the bracelet too much, and think it looks a bit cleaner. So...debating a M Santos or a Tank.

I interchange between the bracelet and the rubber strap. I don’t care for leather so I ended up getting the rubber from the ADLC version. Love it on the rubber, very light and versatile. But, with that said I love the bracelet more.

[RoRoRo]

I stopped wearing my DJ when I got my Santos. Rolex screams and Cartier sings.

It also gets complimented regularly. I have the silver opaline (white dial) with stock beige and metal bracelet, blue rubber and green croc leather strap.

[IS2000]

I briefly had a Santos medium (green dial). I loved the watch, it was comfortable and accurate. The build qualities of the case and bracelet were on par with something like the date just. However I was a bit disappointed with the dial and the hands. I could see quite a bit of imperfections on the hands and under the loupe, the dial markers. With my lifestyle, the watch couldn’t keep the power reserve for the next mornings (my Rolexes had no problem with that). As for recognition, Cartiers are very popular where I live. Probably second most recognizable watches after the Rolexes.