Cartier Santos vs Explorer Polar

[lcs77]

Thinking to add one of these to my collection for daily, which one u choose and why? Thank you all for the advice





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[Kinnakeet]

Have both. The Cartier is an amazing watch. But it would be that Rolex over the santos.

[Krash]

I'm not a fan of the Santos. I like the Tank (I guess). But I've always been a Rolex/Omega kind of guy, not a Cartier/JLC kind of guy. FWIW, that particular Santos is probably the most appealing one of the bunch.

[macluven]

Although I do like the Santos (the skeleton is amazing!), I would have to choose the Polar over the Santos. I just more functional, and I wouldn't worry too much about banging it up. The Santos is more of a dressy watch to me.

[offrdmania]

The older Santos XXL are nicer IMO since they have no date window. Cleaner lines on the dial and great prices on the secondary market.

Cartier had a very short lived XXL model which was rubber clad with a rubber strap. Super cool idea, making it a true working mans watch.

[Mr Ben]

Originally Posted by Krash

I'm not a fan of the Santos. I like the Tank (I guess). But I've always been a Rolex/Omega kind of guy, not a Cartier/JLC kind of guy. FWIW, that particular Santos is probably the most appealing one of the bunch.

+1. And these are two very different watches - the Exp II is one of my favourites so this is an easy choice for me.

[RRGHOST1]

Rolex for me !

[travisb]

The Santos is beautiful but for a daily, the Exp 2 gets the call.

[EverCloserUnion]

A rather dull answer from me, but here goes: the Rolex.
The design appeals to me, but the clincher is that it will hold its value far better.

[cdmorenot]

I have both. The Santos gets a lot more wrist time because it is much more versatile. If I had to sell one, it would be the Explorer.

One thing that is very important to note is that there are no micro adjustments on the Santos. It is difficult to achieve the proper fit. It isn’t a watch you should buy without trying on first.

If you have multiple watches in your collection, the Explorer is just another round watch.

[Cassian739]

Originally Posted by travisb

The Santos is beautiful but for a daily, the Exp 2 gets the call.

^ agree 100%. They are very different watches and apply to different daily lifestyles. For me and my lifestyle I choose Exp2 Polar.

[~Ocho1~]

for me & my lifestyle it's the Rolex hands down.

The Santos seems a bit more dressy than the Explorer II.

I work in construction, not manual labor, but project management so my daily work attire is jeans & a polo. Weekends I'm usually in Cargo shorts & a plain black T-shirt. So as a daily the Explorer works better for me & It's also more rugged.

[B2 Stealth]

Polar ExpII is my do everything all purpose daily. in past two weeks has been in Minneapolis, Seattle, London, Paris, Boston, Carmel, Monterey, Yosemite, Big Sur, San Francisco, Sacramento.
Next week China and South Korea.
Rolex best "tool" watch. Every serious collector should own one.

[MichelleP]

I have the Santos medium and used to have the Polar Explorer but a bit too big for my wrist. I love my Santos but for daily, I'd go Explorer II

[capecodmike]

It's the Polar Express for the Win.

[ap1]

Sounds like the santos dual time is the right matchup? Santos fit me better

[Easy E]

Of these two, the Polar.

[BillA]

OP
Take a look at the Cartier Santos WSSA0039, it is all black, the rubber strap is dynamite.
The one you have listed above is the WSSA0037. I looked at both and it was an easy decision. The black rubber strap is very comfortable and you also get a black alligator strap.
I wrote a review of the Santos I will try to find it and post a link
https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=791074

[0nly5iv3Digits]

Exp II

[Old Geezer]

Not exactly the pair I would be cross shipping but hey, to each their own. I like the EXP2 better. It's got a useful GMT complication and suits my lifestyle better than the Santos. IMO, the Santos leans too heavily into a dress watch aesthetic.

[watchnwine]

To me, the six-digit polars have the wrong size hand set (too large). I'd go for the Exp II if it was a 16570.

[swils8610]

Explorer all day long.


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[ltmgeller]

Explorer would be my vote

[ArtNouveau]

Two very different styles/types. If I was still working in an office the Santos would be more fitting, for an active lifestyle all rounder the Explorer would be better.

[GolfJunkie]

Exp II

I've tried to like the Santos many times but I don't like square watches and I don't like roman numerals on a watch so that watch will never be in my collection.

On the other hand, the Exp II is one of my all time favorites. I wore it almost all summer long and had trouble reaching for anything else in the collection. It is a great daily and could easily be a one and done.

[Harry-57]

I'm a bit biased but objectively the Explorer II is legible, straightforward, utilitarian yet quietly classy. If you get the chance, try that dial in half light with the lumes glowing:



Oh yeah, nearly forgot, then there's the two time zones and the date.

[SudiYunus]

Cartier is more beautiful n classic, while Rolex is sportier, but based on your current collections, I would go for Cartier

[2001jesper]

Polar, but never been a fan of the Santos

[RoRoRo]

I have both and the explorer is going. People dislike the Santos because it doesn’t say Rolex on the dial.

It’s a really nice watch to wear and admire on the wrist

[Mr. K]

Cartier between those 2