Of all watches, the Cartier Santos de Cartier is my muse. My Santos Galbe XL is my favorite watch in my collection, so I’m always curious to see what new variations debut among the Watches and Wonders novelties. This year was particularly exciting as Cartier introduced the new Santos de Cartier Dual Time (or “Santos Dual Time” for short). Even though I hadn’t seen it in person yet, I immediately called it one of my favorites from Watches and Wonders this year. Let’s see how it holds up after a brief practice.
I already mentioned in my Fratello favorites article that the larger size could be an issue for me, as I have 17cm wrists. Today we’ll see if that’s really the problem. First, let’s check the specs and compare it to other Santos de Cartier family members.
size matters
First, the Cartier Santos de Cartier Dual Time still has the iconic case shape, which is angular, curvaceous, and sexy. According to Cartier’s website, the horizontal length is listed as 40.2mm, which is slightly larger than the regular Santos de Cartier large size (officially 39.8mm). However, after measuring the large time display Santos and Santos Dual Time myself, I concluded that they are both 37.5mm wide. I don’t know why Cartier said otherwise. It’s possible that the dimensions on the website are the width including the crown, but that seems unlikely.
Quick side note: I also checked the measurements for the medium Santos. My caliper had a width of 33.5 mm, but the Cartier website lists it as 35.1 mm. I measured the width from lug to lug and it was 42mm.
Anyway, the Dual Time version is slightly thicker than the regular Large Santos (9.4mm), but it’s still only 10.1mm thick. Like the regular Large Santos, the lug length is 47.5mm from tip to tip, which is acceptable and means it will fit a variety of wrist sizes. I will explain the wearability again later in this review.
Brushed, polished and convenient
As we are accustomed to with Santos, its case is vertically brushed with polished bevels on both sides. The bezel is fully polished and flows into the brushed bracelet. You can adjust the size of the bracelet using Cartier’s exclusive SmartLink system. It consists of a small button inside a removable link. When you press it, the pin will come out, but it won’t come out completely. This way you can delete the link without losing the pin. The end links of the bracelet also feature a QuickSwitch system. This allows you to quickly remove the bracelet and replace it with the included gray alligator strap at the push of a button without any tools.
The durable butterfly clasp has a push-button release and logoed flash links allow you to close the bracelet from either side. Although not as discreet and hidden as the friction clasp on my Santos Galbée XL, the push button is useful.
Santos Galve 2319 Asia LE, 2002 — Image: Wind Vintage
4th subdial hand and 2nd time zone
As mentioned in a previous article, the Santos Dual Time’s gray sunburst dial reminds us of the 2002 limited edition Santos. It also featured a gray sunburst dial with white luminous Roman numerals. The Santos Dual Time only features luminous paint on the hour, minute and dual time hands. This watch is polished in silver and features raised Roman numerals, similar to the green and blue version of the Santos. The white track is located slightly lower, as is the second time zone subdial at 6 o’clock.
The light gray subdials feature concentric graining and black printing. At the 12 o’clock position there is an opening for the AM/PM indicator. Finally, at 3 o’clock on the main dial is a date window with a gray disc and white numerals.
What I like is how the dual time complication is integrated into the dial. You may know that the Santos Dual Time is equipped with the improved Sellita SW330 movement. Most watches equipped with this movement simply have an additional second time zone hand on the main dial. This time, the fourth hand is in a separate subdial, which, to my eye, seems to give it the attention it deserves.
For your hands and wrists
The day I had the Cartier Santos de Cartier Dual Time at the office, I was of course wearing the Santos Galbe XL. I still prefer square bezels, but other than that, the current Santos is still a great watch. The deep sunburst texture of the dial is beautiful. Both the case and bracelet have been thoroughly brushed and polished. Plus, the QuickSwitch and SmartLink features make it a very easy-to-use watch. It’s nice to see a watch brand pay such attention to detail. These take the watch to a truly high level.
The Santos Dual Time is considerably larger than the Santos Galbée, which is 32mm wide. However, the added complexity makes sense. Still, I’m very happy with the smaller Garbe, so I was curious to see how the Dual Time would feel on my 17cm wrist. Having tried it, I have to say that it knows how to hide its size well.
The only way to know is to try it on
Indeed, compared to my Galbée XL, the Dual Time feels like a great beast. Again, somehow it doesn’t look out of place. The way the case and bracelet wrap around your wrist makes the watch very comfortable. Again, it’s large and feels too big for my taste, but I don’t think it looks too big. But you can judge that by looking at Max’s photo.
Of course, whether you feel comfortable wearing a particular watch on your wrist is highly personal. My conclusion today is that even if you don’t think the Santos Dual Time is right for you based on the measurements on paper, you might want to check it out at a boutique and try it on. First of all, the official dimensions don’t seem to be accurate. Additionally, the Cartier Santos de Cartier feels completely different from any other watch I’ve tried.
last word
If you’re looking for a watch with dual time functionality and you like Cartier Santos, this new dual time is a very attractive candidate. It has all the sexy appeal of today’s Santos, with the addition of a very popular complication. If you’re happy with the larger size, this watch is definitely a winner. The price of the Cartier Santos de Cartier Dual Time is 10,000 euros.
Let us know what you think about the Cartier Santos de Cartier Dual Time in the comments section below.
