So I just bought a tank Solarbeat and honestly the brand has me hooked. I love the watches, the boutique experience, and their salespeople are so kind. Could not be more opposite from Rolex.
Lovely watch, I agree about the JLC Reverso I have tried it on several times and although I like the look it never seems to sit well on my wrist. The brown strap is a complete mismatch which is surprising from a brand well known for elegance.
About the waterresistance i concur with your feelings. I went swiming with my watch onve in the Lac Leman (lake of Geneva). 100m water resistance, no screw down crown. I had done this a lot with this watch, over a period of 8 years, and never had a problem. Just a year earlier i had it serviced and atm pressure checked. I noticed water when coming out of the water and brought it to my watch maker who succesfully serviced it. But since then i only wear z watch with a screw down crown, it keeps a peace of mind.
Very appropriate Ash. Probably the first Pilot’s watch, so in line with your RAF career. I have to say, that the Santos is one of the most elegant designs on the market. I’m very happy for your choice. You can go swimming with 100 meters water resistance but not diving. I have several watches with only 100 meters wr and I am very happy to shower in them, even though they do not have a screw down crown. You should have no problem and most people don’t dive that deep. You should be okay.
At Breitling I was told that with 100m water resistance and a non screw down crown one should not jump into the pool. Cartier should say something about this in the manual though. After all it is a dress watch and the main point for me would be that’s dust- and rain proof.
Great review of a watch I knew little about. And I appreciate the larger theme of drifting away from Rolex. I’ve gone down the Grand Seiko rabbit hole and I’m not coming back I fear.
I've been eyeing this same model and have tried it on. The one reservation I have is the lack of adjustment on the bracelet clasp. If they update the clasp it'd be an instant buy for me.
Thanks Ash, I bought my Santos 100 about 20 years ago originally to be worn with business attire. However, I agree it does cross-over quite nicely to sport and is unique out in the wild.
Got for 22 years a Roadster GMT who is also 100mts but in one occasion had water intrusion at the beach and was a costly repair at the Cartier Service Center. The non screw down is fault but the Santos as the Roadster are unique beautiful watches. Happy Holidays
I purchased a Santos for my 60th birthday last June and I love it to pieces. I may purchase a tank for my next birthday. Not sure yet. But I’m already excited just thinking about the possibility of adding another Cartier watch to my collection!
I will getting my Santos de Cartier in the beginning of next year. After that, I will save up for a nice Tank for my wife. As I know she likes to have a Cartier watch as well.
As I am retired and live in jeans and shorts when the blue dial was released it was for me.Had the medium for a year now and love it.The applied silver markers and. bit of lume in the hands elevates it.Apparently the blue/black dial inspired by Van Gogh's Starry Night.Elongated romans based on Birds Eye view of Paris after Haussmann.Movement is buttery to wind and eight year guarantee can be had.Mine supplied with a leather strap as well so formal is easy to achieve.Wear in good health
Great review. I definitely enjoy the Cartier watches in general. Thought of one watch you may really enjoy. The Vario Empire. They're art deco watches. Ivan, the brand owner has done a few variations and the current one is a GMT version meant for dressy occasions. Maybe something you might enjoy too?
@@TheChapsGuide I have the 3 handed version in Summer Blue and LOVE it. I do have the itch to add the GMT version in the same colour as I feel they both have a different feel :)
I have got a Deep Blue 20ATM Dive-Watch with no screw down crown: Works perfect! You can't unlock your crown under water with these guards and the seal will do it's job.
Great watch you got there. Interesting history also. But i´m allright with chaps wearing it even though they dress less formal. It could be a one watch collection - on a bracelet and goes with almost anything. Cheers.
Agree 100% with everything you said. Im getting a little bit of cash from an executorship of an estate soon and it will mostly cover a new watch and Im gonna pull the trigger on the Santos Medium. If I live another 30 years it will still look as timeless and smart as it does today. Its fad-proof. Its history and story is undeniable. Its a watch that knows itself, doesnt try to be anything else, and doesnt try to work too hard to impress.
I do love the look and contemplated many times buying it, but the watch is a scratch magnet and I know id constantly be babying it which for me would take the joy out of it
I regret not buying this first. My first watch: Glashütte Original panomatic lunar in steel, is beautiful but not versatile. I have to go to Bucherer to change a strap for seasons. That Santos i can alter while on vacation or wherever. It also is more rugged. The Glashütte is incredible but needs another watch as an alternative.
Hi Ash, great review and you make some important points. Just a couple of questions, Pepsi or Santos ? and do you find the highly polished stainless steel around the crystal scratches easily? Keep up the great work!
@@TheChapsGuide Thanks Ash, do you find the stainless steel around the crystal scratches ? I am looking to buy one but have been told the scratches are annoying.
The straps are very nice and mechanism to change them is game changing. The only thing I can't understand about the leather straps is that you have to fold over the ends to fit it to size. That kinda leaves a fold when, for example, you loose weight and have to resize it. Regarding the crown. The gaskets are responsible for making the wacht water resistant. The screw down crown just protects the crown from coming out while in the water. At least that's what I read on the watch forums.
I really wish that I had not watched this video. The Cartier Santos captured my imagination when I was a boy reading a glossy advert which gave a potted history of the watch and showed the flush screws in detail. No other watch fired my imagination in the same way. It is a tool watch which has been refined to the pinnacle of understated elegance and it makes other tool watches look agricultural. The black strap does elevate it, congratulations on such a wise purchase!
Great video! Specifically about the clasp of the bracelet how do you find the butterfly clasp on the Santos bracelet compares to the comfort of a Rolex clasp? I find the Rolex oyster bracelet to be very comfortable and don’t mind the clasp at all under my wrist but I have another watch with a butterfly clasp and don’t find it nearly as comfortable. Very interested to hear any thoughts about the comfort of the butterfly clasp on the underside of your wrist.
It's not a given that any stainless steel watch will scratch. It's pretty easy to apply hardening treatments to steel, these brands just don't do it because people don't know enough + will accept it.
The fact that it harkens back to the beginning of the last century (making it probably the first purpose-built wrist watch for men) shows the ingenuity of Louis Cartier's designs: it predates Art Deco, it predates industrial design (visible screws as a design element) and yet many of these later eras are very much present in this watch. It is very special, indeed.
I’d like a Santos but I’d like a quartz version to balance out all the automatic watches in my collection. That would mean getting a Santos Dumont though, which has a silver dial, rather than the Santos de Cartier which has the white and other colour dials. First world problems!
@@TheChapsGuide You said “deployment clasp,” which those of us in Uniformed Service know is deploying overseas confined in a large wood and steel lock knows as rules of engagement. A “deployant” clasp is a watch strap amenity you clearly appreciate. Great Watch, now that I got my 6609 TurnOGraph it’s the Cartier or a GP Loreatau.
It’s a watch that I wouldn’t normally like but I am very attracted to it. Did you try on the larger size and if so why did you decide on the smaller version?
The larger model is really quite a significant jump in size over the medium, in size and depth. But worth trying on if you are considering the pieces. I think that the large model has been far less successful in terms of sales.
@ Thank you. This seems to be the accepted opinion, that the bigger version looses the elegance and understated quality of the smaller version. I must really visit a dealer to actually view the watch - UA-cam is only of some use as a guide.
Ash, A lovely presentation. If Cartier rates this watch to 100m, I think you should trust their judgment. I have a 1970s Bulova rated to 200m without a screw down crown and it did fine. There are other reasons not to wear a Cartier swimming or diving, but I would expect the lack of a screw down crown should not be one of them. My two cents coming from a cheapskate who will likely never own a Cartier. 🤷♂️ Best wishes for a Happy Christmas, Ash and to all the Nirvana club crew! JR Seeger Old warrior, even older novelist.
Could you give your thoughts on the Seiko Tank? Really attracted to the Santos but the Seiko would be what I could actually afford at this stage in my life.
The advantage of Cartier is that you can sidestep the tiresome Rolex vs Omega debates and get something with its own identity that stands apart from other major watch brands. Their watches are unabashedly jewellery first and watches second, which, in today's world, makes them seem more honest somehow. I've really debated whether to get a Santos for a while. I even thought about getting the Dumont quartz because I prefer the subtle sunray finish over the version you have. I'm just not sure how often I'd wear it, and I already have an Omega Aqua Terra, which covers me for dressy sport, and a Grand Seiko Skyflake, which is an elegant dress watch that's also a scratch magnet. Decisions decisions!
I love the innovative that Cartier brought in with this piece, no doubt. However I find the attempt by Cartier to push this watch as a sport watch to have a cut in the sport watch segment kinda killed it for me, it looks like a dress watch on steroid, it reminds me of Santos 100. I once wanted this piece but as time goes and i learned more about the history of Santos production of over 100 years, i'm gravitated toward Santos Dumont, which in my opinion it is more align with Cartier's design language and branding. None the less, it's a great watch and enjoy it in good health.
I find Cartier way better fitting for a well dressed man lifestyle. We can argue how elegant Steel sports watches really are, but they just dont give the same aura as dressy watches. I associate them mostly with streetwear, because it was rich pop stars and footballers who popularized them so much in the first place, and most of them are not intentionally well dressed. Dressy watches are like a young getting his first leather shoes/boots after wearing sneakers his whole life.
Glad you are enjoying your Santos. I tried the same model on at my AD and it wears nicely on wrist. It is an attractive and dressy watch. Not a fan of the lack of any micro-adjustment and the butterfly clasp is not my cup of tea. It did not feel as robust as any of my Rolexes. I own a Tank Solo as my "black tie watch" and for me, the Tank is the most iconic Cartier, but the Santos is a close second. Happy Holidays!
Dare I say it looks large on you not proportional to your wrist., what's the next size down? The 36mm date just is perfect on your 6.5 in wrist, perfect do it all. Ive had many luxury watches ended up selling all. Trouble is it's all or nothing for me if I'm going to go luxury I can't get a tag or longines, ive got to go omega or rolex. However, or stick to seiko or citizen I find that's safe as know one can judge you as many wealthy people buy affordable watches ive now got seikos and citizen watches that cost 3-4 hundred, and ive had one eco drive citizen that still keeps perfect time after 12 years. Imo id rather stick to the affordable end now owning luxury I couldn't help but feel sometimes id fallen for this pretentious superfluous materialism . That said I still like watches of all price brackets but I'm happier not drawn on to the hedonic ladder.
You’re absolutely right sir 🫡 those chav like gaudy Rolex’s you own are awful and I will happily dispose of them for you without charge and in a discreet manner 🫡
So I just bought a tank Solarbeat and honestly the brand has me hooked. I love the watches, the boutique experience, and their salespeople are so kind. Could not be more opposite from Rolex.
No
I’ve got a vintage 1986 santos carree in steel and I rock it with jeans and ripped band tees. Love the dichotomy it brings to my look.
I will get one soon. Great review my Friend!
Lovely watch, I agree about the JLC Reverso I have tried it on several times and although I like the look it never seems to sit well on my wrist.
The brown strap is a complete mismatch which is surprising from a brand well known for elegance.
The Santos looks great on you, Ash! 👍🏻
Really like the strap ideas ash
About the waterresistance i concur with your feelings.
I went swiming with my watch onve in the Lac Leman (lake of Geneva). 100m water resistance, no screw down crown. I had done this a lot with this watch, over a period of 8 years, and never had a problem. Just a year earlier i had it serviced and atm pressure checked.
I noticed water when coming out of the water and brought it to my watch maker who succesfully serviced it.
But since then i only wear z watch with a screw down crown, it keeps a peace of mind.
100% agree. Cartier is my favorite watch brand. I have a tank louis in rose gold and it's so perfect. I plan to get a gold santos one day.
Hope your doing your Christmas Day dinner outside video this year. That video is turning into a great tradition. All the best.
It’s all planned and ready for next week!
Nice update! I plan to retire next summer. I'm saving up for a Cartier to mark the milestone. It'll either be a Santos or Tank. Can't wait.
Your videos on the Cartier have moved it higher up my wishlist!
Very appropriate Ash. Probably the first Pilot’s watch, so in line with your RAF career. I have to say, that the Santos is one of the most elegant designs on the market. I’m very happy for your choice. You can go swimming with 100 meters water resistance but not diving. I have several watches with only 100 meters wr and I am very happy to shower in them, even though they do not have a screw down crown. You should have no problem and most people don’t dive that deep. You should be okay.
At Breitling I was told that with 100m water resistance and a non screw down crown one should not jump into the pool. Cartier should say something about this in the manual though. After all it is a dress watch and the main point for me would be that’s dust- and rain proof.
Great review of a watch I knew little about. And I appreciate the larger theme of drifting away from Rolex. I’ve gone down the Grand Seiko rabbit hole and I’m not coming back I fear.
its a classic watch and the bracelet system is simply the best in market.
Hello Ash. Great looking watch. It looks good on your wrist. I think it's a good dress watch. Glad it has become your favorite watch. Cheers Ron
Its a lovely watch. Fits on your wrist perfectly.
I've been eyeing this same model and have tried it on. The one reservation I have is the lack of adjustment on the bracelet clasp. If they update the clasp it'd be an instant buy for me.
❤ honest review sir
My next would be Cartier Santos medium.
It’s a lovely watch - so elegant.
Thanks Ash, I bought my Santos 100 about 20 years ago originally to be worn with business attire. However, I agree it does cross-over quite nicely to sport and is unique out in the wild.
Always a pleasure.
That is a great watch.I have one and I love it
Got for 22 years a Roadster GMT who is also 100mts but in one occasion had water intrusion at the beach and was a costly repair at the Cartier Service Center. The non screw down is fault but the Santos as the Roadster are unique beautiful watches.
Happy Holidays
Fab review. I too own Rolex dJ & sub. In my late fifties I am gravitating towards this watch. Love the channel ❤
That no screw down crown really is 100% right ,you can shower pool swim with it Chap, I know this from experience.
I purchased a Santos for my 60th birthday last June and I love it to pieces. I may purchase a tank for my next birthday. Not sure yet. But I’m already excited just thinking about the possibility of adding another Cartier watch to my collection!
My grandfather will love that watch
You need to have one of those in the collection!
I have a green, purple and red strap and it’s wonderful! Try a little fun…
No one has better watch reviews or taste in watches than Ash. I’d buy any watch from him if he was my AD 😂
I will getting my Santos de Cartier in the beginning of next year. After that, I will save up for a nice Tank for my wife. As I know she likes to have a Cartier watch as well.
As I am retired and live in jeans and shorts when the blue dial was released it was for me.Had the medium for a year now and love it.The applied silver markers and. bit of lume in the hands elevates it.Apparently the blue/black dial inspired by Van Gogh's Starry Night.Elongated romans based on Birds Eye view of Paris after Haussmann.Movement is buttery to wind and eight year guarantee can be had.Mine supplied with a leather strap as well so formal is easy to achieve.Wear in good health
Looks like a ladies watch.
@ Who hurt you.
Great review. I definitely enjoy the Cartier watches in general. Thought of one watch you may really enjoy. The Vario Empire. They're art deco watches. Ivan, the brand owner has done a few variations and the current one is a GMT version meant for dressy occasions. Maybe something you might enjoy too?
I'll check it out!
@@TheChapsGuide I have the 3 handed version in Summer Blue and LOVE it. I do have the itch to add the GMT version in the same colour as I feel they both have a different feel :)
I have got a Deep Blue 20ATM Dive-Watch with no screw down crown: Works perfect!
You can't unlock your crown under water with these guards and the seal will do it's job.
Great watch you got there. Interesting history also. But i´m allright with chaps wearing it even though they dress less formal. It could be a one watch collection - on a bracelet and goes with almost anything. Cheers.
Agree 100% with everything you said. Im getting a little bit of cash from an executorship of an estate soon and it will mostly cover a new watch and Im gonna pull the trigger on the Santos Medium. If I live another 30 years it will still look as timeless and smart as it does today. Its fad-proof. Its history and story is undeniable. Its a watch that knows itself, doesnt try to be anything else, and doesnt try to work too hard to impress.
Gay
I do love the look and contemplated many times buying it, but the watch is a scratch magnet and I know id constantly be babying it which for me would take the joy out of it
I regret not buying this first. My first watch: Glashütte Original panomatic lunar in steel, is beautiful but not versatile. I have to go to Bucherer to change a strap for seasons. That Santos i can alter while on vacation or wherever. It also is more rugged. The Glashütte is incredible but needs another watch as an alternative.
Love the watch. One thing that might bother me, the top screws are not aligned. Would you have any thoughts to share about that?
It’s not even noticeable in reality. No need to worry.
A stunning conclusion at the end. I wonder what your thoughts are on the Cartier Tank.
Hi Ash, great review and you make some important points. Just a couple of questions, Pepsi or Santos ? and do you find the highly polished stainless steel around the crystal scratches easily? Keep up the great work!
Pepsi and Santos are not comparable, as one is a work watch and the other a dress watch. But for my lifestyle, the Santos is the winner.
@@TheChapsGuide Thanks Ash, do you find the stainless steel around the crystal scratches ? I am looking to buy one but have been told the scratches are annoying.
It does scratch in the same way as any other watch. Nothing out of the ordinary
The straps are very nice and mechanism to change them is game changing. The only thing I can't understand about the leather straps is that you have to fold over the ends to fit it to size. That kinda leaves a fold when, for example, you loose weight and have to resize it.
Regarding the crown. The gaskets are responsible for making the wacht water resistant. The screw down crown just protects the crown from coming out while in the water. At least that's what I read on the watch forums.
Wrong
I really wish that I had not watched this video. The Cartier Santos captured my imagination when I was a boy reading a glossy advert which gave a potted history of the watch and showed the flush screws in detail. No other watch fired my imagination in the same way. It is a tool watch which has been refined to the pinnacle of understated elegance and it makes other tool watches look agricultural.
The black strap does elevate it, congratulations on such a wise purchase!
Great video! Specifically about the clasp of the bracelet how do you find the butterfly clasp on the Santos bracelet compares to the comfort of a Rolex clasp? I find the Rolex oyster bracelet to be very comfortable and don’t mind the clasp at all under my wrist but I have another watch with a butterfly clasp and don’t find it nearly as comfortable. Very interested to hear any thoughts about the comfort of the butterfly clasp on the underside of your wrist.
No issues at all with the clasp for me. Comparable to my Rolex pieces.
Glad you love it but flat screws are a no for me.
Looks great on the strap.
Cartier owes you a free strap after this review... The black leather band looks incredible!
It's not a given that any stainless steel watch will scratch. It's pretty easy to apply hardening treatments to steel, these brands just don't do it because people don't know enough + will accept it.
Love that watch! It might be a dress watch but it looks like it belongs in the cockpit of a Sopwith Camel!
That pocket square 👌
“Tragically” my wife has fallen in love with watches as well😂
The fact that it harkens back to the beginning of the last century (making it probably the first purpose-built wrist watch for men) shows the ingenuity of Louis Cartier's designs: it predates Art Deco, it predates industrial design (visible screws as a design element) and yet many of these later eras are very much present in this watch. It is very special, indeed.
I’d like a Santos but I’d like a quartz version to balance out all the automatic watches in my collection. That would mean getting a Santos Dumont though, which has a silver dial, rather than the Santos de Cartier which has the white and other colour dials. First world problems!
Deployant* also nice watch.
?
@@TheChapsGuide You said “deployment clasp,” which those of us in Uniformed Service know is deploying overseas confined in a large wood and steel lock knows as rules of engagement. A “deployant” clasp is a watch strap amenity you clearly appreciate. Great Watch, now that I got my 6609 TurnOGraph it’s the Cartier or a GP Loreatau.
It’s a watch that I wouldn’t normally like but I am very attracted to it.
Did you try on the larger size and if so why did you decide on the smaller version?
The larger model is really quite a significant jump in size over the medium, in size and depth. But worth trying on if you are considering the pieces. I think that the large model has been far less successful in terms of sales.
@ Thank you. This seems to be the accepted opinion, that the bigger version looses the elegance and understated quality of the smaller version. I must really visit a dealer to actually view the watch - UA-cam is only of some use as a guide.
Ash,
A lovely presentation.
If Cartier rates this watch to 100m, I think you should trust their judgment. I have a 1970s Bulova rated to 200m without a screw down crown and it did fine. There are other reasons not to wear a Cartier swimming or diving, but I would expect the lack of a screw down crown should not be one of them. My two cents coming from a cheapskate who will likely never own a Cartier. 🤷♂️
Best wishes for a Happy Christmas, Ash and to all the Nirvana club crew!
JR Seeger
Old warrior, even older novelist.
Merry Christmas to you too sir
6 months already! Wow
Cartier typically wear great on most wrists.
Most ladies wrists, yes.
Could you give your thoughts on the Seiko Tank? Really attracted to the Santos but the Seiko would be what I could actually afford at this stage in my life.
Seiko is my watch of choice but for a rectangular watch look at Bulova, the Santos line, many variations and all reasonable and beautiful.
Check vintage must de Cartier tank watches - starting at around 1000 EUR used.
Junk
The advantage of Cartier is that you can sidestep the tiresome Rolex vs Omega debates and get something with its own identity that stands apart from other major watch brands. Their watches are unabashedly jewellery first and watches second, which, in today's world, makes them seem more honest somehow.
I've really debated whether to get a Santos for a while. I even thought about getting the Dumont quartz because I prefer the subtle sunray finish over the version you have. I'm just not sure how often I'd wear it, and I already have an Omega Aqua Terra, which covers me for dressy sport, and a Grand Seiko Skyflake, which is an elegant dress watch that's also a scratch magnet.
Decisions decisions!
“Deployment clasp” lol
I love the innovative that Cartier brought in with this piece, no doubt. However I find the attempt by Cartier to push this watch as a sport watch to have a cut in the sport watch segment kinda killed it for me, it looks like a dress watch on steroid, it reminds me of Santos 100. I once wanted this piece but as time goes and i learned more about the history of Santos production of over 100 years, i'm gravitated toward Santos Dumont, which in my opinion it is more align with Cartier's design language and branding. None the less, it's a great watch and enjoy it in good health.
I find Cartier way better fitting for a well dressed man lifestyle. We can argue how elegant Steel sports watches really are, but they just dont give the same aura as dressy watches. I associate them mostly with streetwear, because it was rich pop stars and footballers who popularized them so much in the first place, and most of them are not intentionally well dressed. Dressy watches are like a young getting his first leather shoes/boots after wearing sneakers his whole life.
Great watch with an interesting history however I could not get over the misaligned screws on the face.
OCD?
Glad you are enjoying your Santos. I tried the same model on at my AD and it wears nicely on wrist. It is an attractive and dressy watch. Not a fan of the lack of any micro-adjustment and the butterfly clasp is not my cup of tea. It did not feel as robust as any of my Rolexes. I own a Tank Solo as my "black tie watch" and for me, the Tank is the most iconic Cartier, but the Santos is a close second. Happy Holidays!
Dare I say it looks large on you not proportional to your wrist., what's the next size down? The 36mm date just is perfect on your 6.5 in wrist, perfect do it all. Ive had many luxury watches ended up selling all. Trouble is it's all or nothing for me if I'm going to go luxury I can't get a tag or longines, ive got to go omega or rolex. However, or stick to seiko or citizen I find that's safe as know one can judge you as many wealthy people buy affordable watches ive now got seikos and citizen watches that cost 3-4 hundred, and ive had one eco drive citizen that still keeps perfect time after 12 years. Imo id rather stick to the affordable end now owning luxury I couldn't help but feel sometimes id fallen for this pretentious superfluous materialism . That said I still like watches of all price brackets but I'm happier not drawn on to the hedonic ladder.
I’d never wear a santos. It looks like a ladies watch.
You’re absolutely right sir 🫡 those chav like gaudy Rolex’s you own are awful and I will happily dispose of them for you without charge and in a discreet manner 🫡