# New 2018 Santos de Cartier -- Stainless, Two-tone, or Gold?



## Initial_J

This is a watch I've been admiring since dantan posted his on another thread. After seeing the watch on his thread, I'm really liking the all-stainless version, especially if it can be had with the stainless bracelet along with a blue and/or black strap (not really a fan of the tan strap). That said, I also like the two-tone one second and dislike it the next. Obviously the all-gold w/ bracelet is amazing if you are willing to shell out $37k for the large.

What model do you like / would you be most likely to buy? Here are my thoughts, mostly consisting of mixed feelings...

Stainless
Pros: Relatively inexpensive, goes well with many straps, most versatile, goes well with jeans or a suit and as a result probably gets the most wrist time
Cons: There's a part of me that feels a cartier should have some gold. I also have two all stainless watches already (Omega Aqua Terra and Rolex BLNR).

Two-tone
Pros: Add a dash of gold for a modest increase in price, and I'd really like to add a gold watch to my collection at some point
Cons: The way the gold bezel extends to the stainless bracelet looks a little weird to me one second and quite nice the next. What strap does it look good with? Can't tell if I will love or hate it in 5 years.

Gold
Pros: Amazing with black strap or gold bracelet. Haven't seen enough of the other straps to come to a conclusion
Cons: Expensive. Gold bracelet is out of range for the majority of us. Least versatile for me and would probably the least wrist time


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## dantan

Very biased, but Stainless for me.

The Gold looks amazing in pictures (I have only seen the Gold with a Leather Strap, in real life) with that amazing Bracelet, but it is not very versatile.

I can understand why you say that a Cartier feels as though it should have some Gold in it.

Usually, I am not so much into Gold myself, so it is still all-stainless steel for me, but you cannot really go wrong with any!


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## IGotId

Definitely SS as I'm not a fan of gold. I'm wondering if other straps are available yet?


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## CivilBen

Count me in for stainless. 

Any idea when these will be in stores?


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## mcdill the pig

For me, it’s a close call between the steel and the TT. TT is “classic” Santos but it may be too bold for daily use. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


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## Shanghaied

Would prefer TT for the simple reason that I have too many SS watches. My only TT watch to-date is the Oysterquartz.


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## dantan

I have owned mine for two weeks.



CivilBen said:


> Count me in for stainless.
> 
> Any idea when these will be in stores?


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## RobbyCC

I've had an original 2-tone Santos since the '80s, and I wore it every day until cell phones became small enough to check the time easily. I like these new releases and may replace my old friend, but I'm in the same boat as the OP. I've not yet seen a new one in the flesh, but going on pix, here are my thoughts:

TT - I see what they wanted to achieve with the bezel extending into the bracelet, but in pix it looks wrong; the bezel should be a consistent width. Still, the gold adds an eye-catching touch, and highlights important aspects of the design.
SS - Much more consistent (iow you can't notice the bezel), but also somewhat plain. The watch loses what makes it a Santos. Unlike say the AP RO, the watch did not become the icon it did due to being an all-SS design.
AU - Solves the bezel problem, but looks and is expensive. It's no longer an everyday dressy sport watch, but an expensive dress watch. I find AU the least attractive solution in that it makes the watch inappropriate in too many situations.

My solution is going to be TT or nothing. I'm hoping that in person the bezel is a non-issue, but if it isn't, then I can fall back on the one I already own, which is a flawless design.


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## RobbyCC

RobbyCC said:


> I've had an original 2-tone Santos since the '80s, and I wore it every day until cell phones became small enough to check the time easily. I like these new releases and may replace my old friend, but I'm in the same boat as the OP. I've not yet seen a new one in the flesh, but going on pix, here are my thoughts:
> 
> TT - I see what they wanted to achieve with the bezel extending into the bracelet, but in pix it looks wrong; the bezel should be a consistent width. Still, the gold adds an eye-catching touch, and highlights important aspects of the design.
> SS - Much more consistent (iow you can't notice the bezel), but also somewhat plain. The watch loses what makes it a Santos. Unlike say the AP RO, the watch did not become the icon it did due to being an all-SS design.
> AU - Solves the bezel problem, but looks and is expensive. It's no longer an everyday dressy sport watch, but an expensive dress watch. I find AU the least attractive solution in that it makes the watch inappropriate in too many situations.
> 
> My solution is going to be TT or nothing. I'm hoping that in person the bezel is a non-issue, but if it isn't, then I can fall back on the one I already own, which is a flawless design.


I bought the two-tone today. I didn't warm up to the SS or AU, the iconic Santos is a Steel & Gold watch. The softer re-design has lost some character, so the SS needs more interest to bring out the design, I felt it too plain and indistinct. The AU felt the same, and didn't make up for loss of character with the gleam of gold.

The TT was much different than I thought. The gold has been toned down darker and more rose than the bright yellow of the original, so the contrast is much lower. In fact I had to look hard to realize it was a TT watch, the gold is so subtle. My worries about the bezel shape vanished after I put it on and could barely see the bezel as a distinctly separate part. The TT adds needed texture to a watch that used to pop but doesn't anymore. It's not the '70s, we don't do cocaine in colorful discos, we shop from homogenous Ikea and Restoration Hardware catalogs in which everything is the same bland color.

The 2018 is not as thin as the original, which was about 6mm. The new one is 9mm, not exactly thick, but 50% more. The 35mm size is misleading, it wears like a large 38 or small 39. I thought the Large size comical, like Panerai and Cartier had a red-headed step-child. It's better made than the original, finishing has come a long way in 30 years. I like it a lot, it feels like just the right update for an OG owner like me, but I wonder what buyer the watch will attract now? Jake Gyllenhaal doesn't really strike me as bold and fearless, I wonder if he's the best choice for connecting to a new client.


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## Pun

RobbyCC said:


> I bought the two-tone today. I didn't warm up to the SS or AU, the iconic Santos is a Steel & Gold watch. The softer re-design has lost some character, so the SS needs more interest to bring out the design, I felt it too plain and indistinct. The AU felt the same, and didn't make up for loss of character with the gleam of gold.
> 
> The TT was much different than I thought. The gold has been toned down darker and more rose than the bright yellow of the original, so the contrast is much lower. In fact I had to look hard to realize it was a TT watch, the gold is so subtle. My worries about the bezel shape vanished after I put it on and could barely see the bezel as a distinctly separate part. The TT adds needed texture to a watch that used to pop but doesn't anymore. It's not the '70s, we don't do cocaine in colorful discos, we shop from homogenous Ikea and Restoration Hardware catalogs in which everything is the same bland color.
> 
> The 2018 is not as thin as the original, which was about 6mm. The new one is 9mm, not exactly thick, but 50% more. The 35mm size is misleading, it wears like a large 38 or small 39. I thought the Large size comical, like Panerai and Cartier had a red-headed step-child. It's better made than the original, finishing has come a long way in 30 years. I like it a lot, it feels like just the right update for an OG owner like me, but I wonder what buyer the watch will attract now? Jake Gyllenhaal doesn't really strike me as bold and fearless, I wonder if he's the best choice for connecting to a new client.


Your Short review is very good indeed. I am inclined towards this model only. This will be my first Cartier, if I buy one. Please post your opinion on this after a week and a month to help me decide. This watch is not yet available in India. My AD says I should expect some time after June'18. Therefore I have time to read genuine reviews like your's to take my call. Thanks for sharing.


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## RobbyCC

Pun said:


> Your Short review is very good indeed. I am inclined towards this model only. This will be my first Cartier, if I buy one. Please post your opinion on this after a week and a month to help me decide. This watch is not yet available in India. My AD says I should expect some time after June'18. Therefore I have time to read genuine reviews like your's to take my call. Thanks for sharing.


I will do it. I was planning on a "new vs old" comparison anyway, and that timeframe seems realistic to form solid opinions.


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## kyle1234c

Only just come across this release but love it. It has the history, the classic looks and good build quality. I really like the quick change features on the bracelet as well. Since getting my reverso, squarish watches are quite my thing! Will keep an eye out as they feed through to secondhand market.


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## RobbyCC

Here are two very similar shots to show what I described earlier.

Sunlight:









Shade:









The color of the gold is very interesting, and nothing like the original watch. In full sun, the gold washes out, this is what I mean by it's hard to even tell it is two-tone, and why the reshaped bezel is a non-issue. In shade the gold pops more, but still less than that of the original model. The bezel is also significantly flatter than the original, which stands proud of the case in an obvious and bold manner. The new version is softer, less geometric, less contrasty, easier on the eye. The dial is considerably warmer, the original's is stark white. Ironically, the 2018 version looks vintage, while the true vintage watch does not.

Here's the original:


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## Hammermountain

I've never owned a Santos, but got a chance too see the two-tone in person while having dinner with an old friend of the family. It was awe-inspiring. Like, I basically sat staring at his wrist the entire meal....


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## Initial_J

@RobbyCC, this is exactly why I felt the need to see it in person. In some pictures, one can barely see the contrasting tones of the two tone at all (to your point) and in pictures it seems quite odd. Your pictures highlight it beautifully and it's good to know that it's not just the pictures we are seeing on the web -- this is actually how the watch is.

I really like the new one much more than the old based on your pics... May have a chance to run over to the Cartier boutique today and see for myself.


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## RookiePhil

Thanks for a great review RobbyCC. The watch looks fantastic on your wrist. I keep vascillating between the SS and Silver/gold. Also I notice how lots of people are opting for the medium. What did you think of the large on your wrist? How is the dial size of the medium?


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## IGotId

Congrats on your new watch! I got to try both sizes & the new Drive on today. I'm leaning towards the L Santos, am definitely interested in the Drive as well!


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## Watchdisplay

Congrats on the new santos, it's beautiful. I just picked up the newer Drive. I like your stainless steel version better than the two tone. I like TT in Rolex better overall.


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## RobbyCC

RookiePhil said:


> Thanks for a great review RobbyCC. The watch looks fantastic on your wrist. I keep vascillating between the SS and Silver/gold. Also I notice how lots of people are opting for the medium. What did you think of the large on your wrist? How is the dial size of the medium?


I found the large much too big. Not for my wrist, which can easily wear a 45-50+, but for the design itself. The dial had a bit too much white space. The Santos history, square railroad tracks, and Roman Numerals imply a more petite watch, the Medium is pushing it already.

Here are some real-world comparisons with known size watches, judge for yourself.
I didn't get all anal about measuring size, I just measured across or diagonally using digital calipers, ignored crown guards, and rounded to nearest 0.5mm.

Santos: 33.5mm
Jumbo: 38.5mm
Daytona: 39mm
Nautilus: 35mm, 38mm including ears



























(no they're not touching in this pic, it just looks that way!)


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## RobbyCC

Watchdisplay said:


> Congrats on the new santos, it's beautiful. I just picked up the newer Drive. I like your stainless steel version better than the two tone. I like TT in Rolex better overall.


Congrats on the Drive, I love that watch, particularly the Extra-Flat. Unfortunately for me it just doesn't work on my wrist, something about the shape. I'll give it another shot though, it's stunning!


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## Watchdisplay

RobbyCC said:


> Congrats on the Drive, I love that watch, particularly the Extra-Flat. Unfortunately for me it just doesn't work on my wrist, something about the shape. I'll give it another shot though, it's stunning!


Try to mount down the strap. At first the strap isn't broken in that well. I broke it a little and it sits really flush to the wrist. With the 41mm lug to lug it's great for many wrist sizes.

I'd like to try on the extra flat, and see how much more thin it is compared to this one. Wish they made the extra flat with a date. I would have been all over it.


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## Initial_J

I went to check out these watches yesterday. I think for me the TT would be the way to go as it's the classic Santos look and I already have all stainless watches,. However, I still think the versatility and price of the SS make it pretty attractive as well and I don't think you can go wrong. I will have to go back at least once more if I decide to purchase this watch, but I'm fairly certain I would go TT. I'm still considering other alternatives for my next watch as well: the Rolex President Day Date (can get used for roughly the same price as the TT) or the AP Royal Oak (looking at ~2x the cost).

Here are a few takeaways:
- The large size is comically large. I have to echo the sentiment of @RobbyCC... this think looks like the bastard child of a Cartier and a Panerai.
_Note: I have pretty large wrists at 7.25-7.5", but in the pics below, you will see how the Rolex President fits without any links added/removed.
_- The stainless is definitely versatile and can go with anything. It looks great w/ the bracelet or with a number of band options
- The TT is quite nice. The extension of the bezel into the strap is not really an issue. The gold rivets in the band make it look somewhat dressy, so it's not an everyday watch but can dress it down with a band.
- The tan band that comes with the SS is terrible imo. Luckily you can pick your band(s) when you buy the watch
- The brown band that comes with the TT isn't as bad, but still not great imo -- I would swap/upgrade for either case
- The ease of swapping bands is a huge plus because it gives you the chance to dress up/down the watch as needed.
- I forget the exact prices, but the basic bands are $225-250 or so. The gator bands are ~$425-445. The gator bands are much nicer and I don't think I would consider the basic bands unless maybe if I'm going for some weird color just for kicks.
- The San Francisco Boutique where I went has a SF Limited Edition blue gator band that is running out. Very unique and imo very slick.

Anyway, pictures...

First for reference size, my wrist with my BLNR and with a President I tried on at the Rolex AD














Now the large size Cartier. This thing is massive... it's about the same size as the BLNR but feels so much bigger due to the square shape and the fact that it's a dressier watch. I would go with the medium








Now the SS and TT watches in medium on their bracelets




















Now each one with the default brown/tan band that comes with it. I'm not a fan of these...














And here they are with the straps I like. I tried the black strap and the SF Limited Edition blue strap. I took pictures with black on one side and blue on the other and then all blue. Didn't need to take an all black as you can already tell how nice it looks and I didn't want to ask the rep to keep changing bands



























I really fell in love with the limited edition blue strap and assuming I do end up purchasing this watch I would definitely want the blue option. However, they only had 6 left and told me this is a limited edition and they wouldn't get more... Not sure how true that is (they could always release the blue strap in a non-limited edition later), but I didn't want to miss out. I ended up purchasing the blue strap without the watch  I figure I can return it within 30 days or sell it to one of the people here who've already bought the watch (@dantan, @RobbyCC, let me know if you would be interested).


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## RobbyCC

I'm also in SF, and purchased my watch there. I did not know about the blue matte Limited Edition strap, but thank you for pointing it out Initial_J. I had not yet picked my strap option because I did not care for the included tan calf, and so I ordered black alligator. They did not have the straps when I got my watch 3 days ago, but a shipment came just afterwards so J, your timing was perfect. And you got VERY lucky that the manager was off the day you came in, because you were not supposed to have been able to buy the SF Limited strap by itself. I had a long chat with her, and she helped develop that strap specifically for the Launch, which was here in SF, and for the SF vibe, which is casual. Hence the friendly blue, and the matte. It is limited because all the SF Launch straps come from a single special skin, and obviously it only contained a limited number of possible straps. Yes it's entirely feasible to make a very similar strap at some point, but it would not be from the one single skin that produced all the SF Launch straps. She was wondering why she'd had several calls about this strap, and I can only assume the information came from this thread, and specifically the Initial_J post of yesterday.

Regardless of the origin of the information, there aren't going to be any more sales of any launch straps without a watch purchase. She was rather adamant about this point: the SF Launch strap is for Santos customers who buy a Santos at the SF Boutique. So I bought the launch strap, I had not seen it, only the similar color semi-matte, and I didn't care for it. The matte blue works beautifully though. Btw, the strap is not that expensive because alligator is an "upgrade" to the included strap, which you get a credit for if you don't want it. I believe regular alligator is ~$160 more, I paid a little over $200 OTD for the SF Launch option.

Here are some pix:

daylight balanced display lighting


















regular tungsten


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## dantan

Very cool strap, that matte Blue one! Thanks for the offer! How much do you want for it, if you do not end up buying a Santos?

The Medium Size Santos definitely suits you very nicely.



Initial_J said:


> I went to check out these watches yesterday. I think for me the TT would be the way to go as it's the classic Santos look and I already have all stainless watches,. However, I still think the versatility and price of the SS make it pretty attractive as well and I don't think you can go wrong. I will have to go back at least once more if I decide to purchase this watch, but I'm fairly certain I would go TT. I'm still considering other alternatives for my next watch as well: the Rolex President Day Date (can get used for roughly the same price as the TT) or the AP Royal Oak (looking at ~2x the cost).
> 
> Here are a few takeaways:
> - The large size is comically large. I have to echo the sentiment of @RobbyCC... this think looks like the bastard child of a Cartier and a Panerai.
> _Note: I have pretty large wrists at 7.25-7.5", but in the pics below, you will see how the Rolex President fits without any links added/removed.
> _- The stainless is definitely versatile and can go with anything. It looks great w/ the bracelet or with a number of band options
> - The TT is quite nice. The extension of the bezel into the strap is not really an issue. The gold rivets in the band make it look somewhat dressy, so it's not an everyday watch but can dress it down with a band.
> - The tan band that comes with the SS is terrible imo. Luckily you can pick your band(s) when you buy the watch
> - The brown band that comes with the TT isn't as bad, but still not great imo -- I would swap/upgrade for either case
> - The ease of swapping bands is a huge plus because it gives you the chance to dress up/down the watch as needed.
> - I forget the exact prices, but the basic bands are $225-250 or so. The gator bands are ~$425-445. The gator bands are much nicer and I don't think I would consider the basic bands unless maybe if I'm going for some weird color just for kicks.
> - The San Francisco Boutique where I went has a SF Limited Edition blue gator band that is running out. Very unique and imo very slick.
> 
> Anyway, pictures...
> 
> First for reference size, my wrist with my BLNR and with a President I tried on at the Rolex AD
> View attachment 13077485
> View attachment 13077487
> 
> 
> Now the large size Cartier. This thing is massive... it's about the same size as the BLNR but feels so much bigger due to the square shape and the fact that it's a dressier watch. I would go with the medium
> View attachment 13077525
> 
> 
> Now the SS and TT watches in medium on their bracelets
> View attachment 13077541
> View attachment 13077543
> View attachment 13077545
> 
> 
> Now each one with the default brown/tan band that comes with it. I'm not a fan of these...
> View attachment 13077547
> View attachment 13077549
> 
> 
> And here they are with the straps I like. I tried the black strap and the SF Limited Edition blue strap. I took pictures with black on one side and blue on the other and then all blue. Didn't need to take an all black as you can already tell how nice it looks and I didn't want to ask the rep to keep changing bands
> View attachment 13077551
> View attachment 13077553
> 
> View attachment 13077555
> View attachment 13077557
> 
> 
> I really fell in love with the limited edition blue strap and assuming I do end up purchasing this watch I would definitely want the blue option. However, they only had 6 left and told me this is a limited edition and they wouldn't get more... Not sure how true that is (they could always release the blue strap in a non-limited edition later), but I didn't want to miss out. I ended up purchasing the blue strap without the watch  I figure I can return it within 30 days or sell it to one of the people here who've already bought the watch (@dantan, @RobbyCC, let me know if you would be interested).
> View attachment 13077569
> View attachment 13077573


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## RookiePhil

RobbyCC said:


> I found the large much too big. Not for my wrist, which can easily wear a 45-50+, but for the design itself. The dial had a bit too much white space. The Santos history, square railroad tracks, and Roman Numerals imply a more petite watch, the Medium is pushing it already.
> 
> Here are some real-world comparisons with known size watches, judge for yourself.
> I didn't get all anal about measuring size, I just measured across or diagonally using digital calipers, ignored crown guards, and rounded to nearest 0.5mm.
> 
> Santos: 33.5mm
> Jumbo: 38.5mm
> Daytona: 39mm
> Nautilus: 35mm, 38mm including ears
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> (no they're not touching in this pic, it just looks that way!)


Thanks for the pics RobbyCC! It's really helpful seeing the comparisons. I like wearing larger watches too but from your photos, it really looks like the Santos wears larger. In my mind, Cartier should be elegant so yes a petite size would be better. I'm convinced the large will be too big for me. Now to decide between Stainless or two-toned....


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## darklo

If I am buying a TT santos medium size from an AD in the US, how much discount is reasonable? Is it better to buy from Cartier boutique, or a random AD? I'm also open to legit gray market too, if the price is much better.


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## Pun

darklo said:


> If I am buying a TT santos medium size from an AD in the US, how much discount is reasonable? Is it better to buy from Cartier boutique, or a random AD? I'm also open to legit gray market too, if the price is much better.


I think there is no difference between the boutique or an AD as fas as Cartier after sales service commitment is concerned. One can always get a better deal from the AD than the boutique.

I bought my two tone medium recently from the AD in India and got 15% off whereas boutique offered me only 5% that too keeping in mind my relationship with them.


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## Ducatiti

darklo said:


> If I am buying a TT santos medium size from an AD in the US, how much discount is reasonable? Is it better to buy from Cartier boutique, or a random AD? I'm also open to legit gray market too, if the price is much better.


If I would do it over again, I would have purchased the SS version instead of the TT. Besides the price disparity, all silver goes well with more outfits in my opinion. I can't dress down with the TT too much. Something about the SS looks so special to me, I don't know what it is. The polished bezel and polished silver screws look really good together! I'm just glad that I can borrow my wife's medium SS 

For future reference, mother's metal polish did not work well for the gold bezel. I did a test on a small portion and it changed the color a bit and showed light scratches. I was able to fix this with a Jeweler's Polishing Cloth/Rouge... It polished away the gold imperfection the metal polisher left behind. Hope this helps those who have the TT models.


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## dantan

darklo said:


> If I am buying a TT santos medium size from an AD in the US, how much discount is reasonable? Is it better to buy from Cartier boutique, or a random AD? I'm also open to legit gray market too, if the price is much better.


You should be able to obtain 5-10% off the full Recommended Retail Price.


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## Sassebastian

Amazing pictures! 
I always believe that yellow gold is too shinny. 
I love watches, but I don't want they catch too much attention, so stainless steel would be my choice.
By the way, they all look amazing. Cartier really did it in 2018.


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## Kjian414

I personally prefer SS or YG and not TT for the Santos. SS is a very classic look while full YG is like... something else. It’s just so impressive to see a big gold Cartier block on someone’s wrists. For some reason TT doesn’t for work the Santos in my eyes.


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