Cartier

Santos de Cartier Large (Silver Dial)

Name: Cartier Santos de Cartier Large (Silver Dial)
Brand: Cartier
SKU: WGSA029
Availability: InStock

Ref. WGSA029

On request

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Case47.5 x 38.9mm 18k yellow gold

DialSilver, Roman numerals

MovementAutomatic

BraceletYellow gold

PapersBox and Card

The Santos is the first pilot’s watch and the first square watch that mattered, born 1904 and re-engineered with the QuickSwitch bracelet for the modern wrist. Its exposed screws made hardware into ornament a century before industrial design caught up.

A Santos de Cartier Large in 47.5 x 38.9mm 18k yellow gold, silver, roman numerals on the wrist. Automatic movement inside.

Fun fact: Cartier built the first Santos in 1904 for Alberto Santos-Dumont, who complained he could not check a pocket watch while flying. It is the reason men wear watches on the wrist at all.

The 2018 Santos in solid yellow gold

ReferenceWGSA0029

Case39.8mm 18k yellow gold, water resistant to 100m

MovementAutomatic calibre 1847 MC

Introduced2018, current Santos generation. Production window to be confirmed against Cartier's catalogue before publishing.

Why this one matters

Cartier made a wristwatch for Alberto Santos-Dumont in 1904, and the shape resurfaced periodically over the following decades before Cartier revived it properly in 1978. The Santos as most people picture it arrives with that revival: exposed screws on the bezel, a bracelet integrated into the case, gold and steel together at the moment that combination defined the decade.

The Santos 100 of 2004 took the design larger and offered it on a strap as well as a bracelet. The current generation, launched in 2018, went back towards the original proportions, most obviously in the medium; the large stayed generous at 39.8mm but pulled the lug to lug in from the Santos 100. It also added QuickSwitch to release the bracelet from underneath the case, and SmartLink to add or remove links by hand.

The movement

Calibre 1847 MC is Cartier's everyday automatic, introduced in 2015 and used across the collection since. It runs at 4 Hz, winds both ways and gives around 40 hours, which is not a long weekend in a drawer. It is shielded with a paramagnetic alloy and uses non-magnetic components in the escapement, which matters more now than in 1978. It is a high volume calibre, so watchmakers know it well, but Cartier keeps parts inside its own service network: plan on Cartier or an authorised centre for a full service.

On the wrist

The large case measures 39.8mm across and roughly 47.5mm from lug to lug, so it covers less wrist than the number suggests. Solid gold on a gold bracelet is heavy, and that weight rolls to the side of the wrist until the bracelet is sized properly. Set the links so it moves about a centimetre and no more: a loose gold bracelet wears itself out.

Questions we are asked about this reference

Can I swim with it?

The reference is rated to 100m. The crown is a push-pull design, not screw-down, so the rating depends entirely on the gaskets and the crown tube being sound: have them tested at service before you swim with it. Salt water and chlorine are hard on gold bracelets and on seals, so rinse it after.

Can I put it on a strap?

Yes. Cartier supplies this reference with a second alligator strap and an interchangeable yellow gold folding buckle, and QuickSwitch swaps between bracelet and strap without tools. Ask us to confirm whether that strap is with this watch before you count on it. Third party straps rarely match the curve where the strap meets the case, and it shows.

Is 1847 MC a Cartier movement?

It is a Cartier manufacture calibre used widely across the collection. The volume means watchmakers know it well, but Cartier restricts parts to its own service network, so a full service means Cartier or an authorised centre rather than a local independent.

Santos de Cartier

Square, screwed and made for daily wear, from a design traced to 1904

Cartier made the first Santos in 1904 for the flight pioneer Alberto Santos-Dumont. As Cartier tells it, he wanted the time readable without taking his hands off his airship. The brief gave a squared case with rounded flanks and a flat bezel carrying exposed screws; in 1978 Cartier added the integrated bracelet whose links carry the same screws. The current Santos de Cartier adds QuickSwitch, a tool free strap release, and SmartLink sizing on the metal bracelet.

exposed screws on the bezel

squared case with rounded flanks

screw down crown, synthetic spinel

Roman numerals, sword shaped hands

Sizes in the family

Three sizes, 27 to 40 mm wide, 35 to 47.5 long

Who it suits

For the buyer who wants one Cartier that handles a suit and a weekend without changing character.

See every Santos de Cartier we have