# Santos medium wrist shots on 7" wrist?



## hiboost (Nov 16, 2010)

I wear my watches above (towards the elbow) the wrist bone and my wrist measures 7" around and 2.25" wide at this point. I've only been able to find one source for a comparison on a 7" wrist and in that case the medium looked big and the large looked huge. Makes me think the perspective was off or something. On paper I'm leaning towards the medium because it seems closer to the classic piece in size and style (no date), but having never seen either size in person it's tough.

Do any of you with similar sized wrists have pics of the medium? Anybody get the medium and felt it looked too small?

Thanks!


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## Pun (Sep 2, 2015)

Mine is about 7"


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## hiboost (Nov 16, 2010)

Pun said:


> Mine is about 7"


Thanks! I think that looks good. Do you have a pic zoomed out a bit to see the proportions to the hand/arm better? Have you ever felt it is too small or do you feel this is a good size?


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## Pun (Sep 2, 2015)

I feel it's just perfect size for me. Santos, being a classic icon, should be worn with vintage propositions and should not wear big on the wrist IMHO.


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## hiboost (Nov 16, 2010)

Pun said:


> I feel it's just perfect size for me. Santos, being a classic icon, should be worn with vintage propositions and should not wear big on the wrist IMHO.


I definitely agree with that in principle, just hard to fully commit without seeing it in person 

One unrelated question - do the roman numerals have some depth to them? In most pictures they look completely flat, like they are just printed on the dial. But then in this picture, I see some gray highlights on the 7 and 8, which makes it seem like they are more built-up and can catch different light on the different parts of the numeral. Is that true?


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## SaoDavi (Jan 28, 2014)

I have a 7.25" wrist and the medium is perfect, IMO. I think it looks cleaner than the large, which has the date window.

I got a new phone and all my saved wrist shots are gone. I'll try to post a picture later.


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## IAmNigelTufnel (Dec 13, 2020)

hiboost said:


> I definitely agree with that in principle, just hard to fully commit without seeing it in person
> 
> One unrelated question - do the roman numerals have some depth to them? In most pictures they look completely flat, like they are just printed on the dial. But then in this picture, I see some gray highlights on the 7 and 8, which makes it seem like they are more built-up and can catch different light on the different parts of the numeral. Is that true?
> 
> View attachment 16764957


Just got mine out and it has the same effect. Perhaps the 'ink' is applied in multiple layers to give a slightly raised effect but I think it's mainly an effect of the black having a slightly reflective quality to it in the light. Either way, they don't look completely flat in the way text on a page does.


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## tinman143 (Sep 16, 2017)

Pun said:


> Mine is about 7"
> View attachment 16764803
> View attachment 16764805
> View attachment 16764803


Is this strap stock? Perfect combo


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## hiboost (Nov 16, 2010)

IAmNigelTufnel said:


> Just got mine out and it has the same effect. Perhaps the 'ink' is applied in multiple layers to give a slightly raised effect but I think it's mainly an effect of the black having a slightly reflective quality to it in the light. Either way, they don't look completely flat in the way text on a page does.


So basically, the characters do not have full "none more black" status. Perfect 

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## IAmNigelTufnel (Dec 13, 2020)

hiboost said:


> So basically, the characters do not have full "none more black" status. Perfect
> 
> Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk


There's always a quote! Well played


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## Scott_DC (Apr 26, 2020)

I have the large, and I love it. My wrist is 7.5 and flat, so larger watches work well for me. I also wanted to minimize the Santos' dressiness and maximize its GADA potential.

But, for a smaller wrist, I'd recommend the medium - which will be the best choice for most people. But you definitely should try them on. The large looks big to me until it's on my wrist. Then it's perfect.


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## hiboost (Nov 16, 2010)

Scott_DC said:


> I have the large, and I love it. My wrist is 7.5 and flat, so larger watches work well for me. I also wanted to minimize the Santos' dressiness and maximize its GADA potential.
> 
> But, for a smaller wrist, I'd recommend the medium - which will be the best choice for most people. But you definitely should try them on. The large looks big to me until it's on my wrist. Then it's perfect.


Thanks for the feedback! If you have a tape, or ideally calipers, handy, I'd be curious to know what your wrist measures across. To me, this is so much more the important measurement in turns of how a watch is proportioned than the overall circumference. As I mentioned, I'm 7" with 2.25" across... but no clue if that's normal/wide/skinny for a 7" wrist since I never see that number posted.


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## Scott_DC (Apr 26, 2020)

hiboost said:


> Thanks for the feedback! If you have a tape, or ideally calipers, handy, I'd be curious to know what your wrist measures across. To me, this is so much more the important measurement in turns of how a watch is proportioned than the overall circumference. As I mentioned, I'm 7" with 2.25" across... but no clue if that's normal/wide/skinny for a 7" wrist since I never see that number posted.


2 5/8"


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## Shawnathon (Oct 4, 2011)

hiboost said:


> I wear my watches above (towards the elbow) the wrist bone and my wrist measures 7" around and 2.25" wide at this point. I've only been able to find one source for a comparison on a 7" wrist and in that case the medium looked big and the large looked huge. Makes me think the perspective was off or something. On paper I'm leaning towards the medium because it seems closer to the classic piece in size and style (no date), but having never seen either size in person it's tough.
> 
> Do any of you with similar sized wrists have pics of the medium? Anybody get the medium and felt it looked too small?
> 
> Thanks!


I had the same question when I was first shopping for a Santos - I have a 6.5" flat wrist and ended up with a medium that I thought fit me very well (not large, but not small). Sadly (and I'm unsure why), I don't have any wrist shots. When I was hunting, I found that YouTube gave the best 'real' perspective of a watch on a wrist of a particular size, since it shows movement, different angles, and a lot of times perspective from a distance. 

This guy has a smaller wrist more comparable to my size (his is 6.4" flat top wrist, I believe) and is wearing a medium, for comparison: 




I know not exactly the size wrist you were hunting for, but gives a bit of perspective on a similar proportion, but a bit smaller wrist. I think it fits him well and I think it would fit a 7" flat wrist even better. Good luck!


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## Chrono Brewer (Aug 30, 2021)

Here's a Santos Medium on my 6.75" wrist, shot in the mirror to avoid lens distortion. This is what it truly looks like on me. The Medium on your 7" wrist could never look too big.









Still couldn't hurt for you to try on both M and L.


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## Pun (Sep 2, 2015)

tinman143 said:


> Is this strap stock? Perfect combo


Yes. It's given with the TT watch alongside the bracelet.


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## Stchambe (Jun 1, 2009)

A friend of mine took this picture shortly after I got the medium. I have a 6.5” wrist.

FWIW I think the medium wears like any other 36mm watch.

Also, the numerals are printed and don’t have a 3d effect


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## 3kdnys (Aug 19, 2020)

My wrist is a hair under 7 inch. I would agree with prior comments that it wears like a 36mm round watch. 


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## mjrchabot (Apr 5, 2011)

6.8” here, you could definitely pull it off at 7”.











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## SaoDavi (Jan 28, 2014)

SaoDavi said:


> I have a 7.25" wrist and the medium is perfect, IMO. I think it looks cleaner than the large, which has the date window.
> 
> I got a new phone and all my saved wrist shots are gone. I'll try to post a picture later.


Wore it today so I can provide a pic.


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## Loevhagen (Dec 15, 2013)

7.5"


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## The Suave Entrepreneur (Oct 10, 2020)

Medium two tone santos on a 7.333” wrist. Don’t be afraid of a smaller watch. Real men wore classical sizes, and they still do.


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## hiboost (Nov 16, 2010)

The Suave Entrepreneur said:


> Medium two tone santos on a 7.333” wrist. Don’t be afraid of a smaller watch. Real men wore classical sizes, and they still do.


I agree. Looks perfect on you. Do you have a way to measure the width of your wrist?


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## Gazza74 (Jul 27, 2013)

Not an owner but I tried on the large on my 7 inch wrist and loved it. The bottom of the case curves to hug the wrist, and it was sooo comfortable to wear. Now, bear in mind that I like a watch to take up most of the real estate of my wrist (without protruding), and I find 36mm too small for my taste.

Ultimately either should work for you, and the on,y way to really know which one is for you is to try them both on and compare.


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## hiboost (Nov 16, 2010)

Gazza74 said:


> Ultimately either should work for you, and the on,y way to really know which one is for you is to try them both on and compare.


For sure. It's an 800 mile round trip for me to try them on so I'm trying to daydream a bit while I find the time to travel.


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## Pun (Sep 2, 2015)

hiboost said:


> I agree. Looks perfect on you. Do you have a way to measure the width of your wrist?


I measure my wrist with a normal measurement tape. You can measure with a thread or any tape and then measure that with a scale


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## Gazza74 (Jul 27, 2013)

hiboost said:


> For sure. It's an 800 mile round trip for me to try them on so I'm trying to daydream a bit while I find the time to travel.
> 
> 
> Sent from my phone using Crapatalk


Ouch, that's a long way to travel, but it'll be worth it.


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## hiboost (Nov 16, 2010)

Pun said:


> I measure my wrist with a normal measurement tape. You can measure with a thread or any tape and then measure that with a scale


Just to clarify, I was asking specifically for the width, not the circumference, because the width is what we see in proportion to the watch. Knowing "7 inch" alone doesn't tell the full story.


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## Pun (Sep 2, 2015)

hiboost said:


> Just to clarify, I was asking specifically for the width, not the circumference, because the width is what we see in proportion to the watch. Knowing "7 inch" alone doesn't tell the full story.


You mean how flat or round the wrist is? Like how the watch base will sit on the wrist surface?


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## hiboost (Nov 16, 2010)

Pun said:


> You mean how flat or round the wrist is? Like how the watch base will sit on the wrist surface?


Correct. My 7" wrist is 2.25" wide if measured with calipers. Another 7" wrist might be 2.0" wide. If a watch is, say, 2.0" lug to lug, then it might look ok on me (some space on each side) but on the 2.0" wrist it might look like the lugs are hanging over. Conversely, if I see a Santos Medium on a wrist and I think it looks a bit too small for my tastes, but that wrist is 1/4" wider than mine, then I can "work backwards", and guess I'd like it on me. Etc. 

Again, this is stuff nerds do when they can't see the watch in real life  But in general, I do think wrist width is the most meaningful measurement unless we are talking about number of links to size a bracelet.


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## hiboost (Nov 16, 2010)

So I finally made it to an AD. The medium is definitely the right choice me for and the look I feel this particular model should have. 

Wrist is 7" relaxed to 7 1/8" with fingers spread. 2.25" across.
















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## Chrono Brewer (Aug 30, 2021)

hiboost said:


> So I finally made it to an AD. The medium is definitely the right choice me for and the look I feel this particular model should have.


That looks perfect. An absolute classic for everything from t-shirts to tuxedoes.


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## hiboost (Nov 16, 2010)

One thing that was really eye opening was how subtle the gold was. I literally thought I was trying on the all steel version and then when I went to a different part of the showroom to see a mirror I noticed the bracelet screws were gold and I did a double take. Compared to Rolex's yellow gold, the Cartier gold is much less contrast with stainless. Anybody else felt this way?


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## TwoToneHappyness (6 mo ago)

I have a feeling it’s down to the lighting in the AD, in normal lighting it’s quite ‘gold’ in colour as below though I agree the gold colour is a little more subtle than Rolex.


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## hiboost (Nov 16, 2010)

TwoToneHappyness said:


> I have a feeling it’s down to the lighting in the AD, in normal lighting it’s quite ‘gold’ in colour as below though I agree the gold colour is a little more subtle than Rolex.




Yeah way more noticeable in your pic than mine. That's kind of cool if in real life the two tone aspect comes and goes depending on the environment. Is that how you feel or do you feel like most of the time it's "obviously" two tone? 

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## Chrono Brewer (Aug 30, 2021)

It's amazing how the blend in gold can alter its color (% gold, copper, silver, platinum, and palladium) and so a manufacturer can have a characteristic look. Even more variation with things like bronze. I'd be interested to compare the alloy mix for Rolex, Cartier, Omega, etc.


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## Fedev (Feb 22, 2021)

Medium is the perfect size on 7" wrists. Here's mine on the included leather strap.


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## hiboost (Nov 16, 2010)

Fedev said:


> Medium is the perfect size on 7" wrists. Here's mine on the included leather strap.


The leather really looks great on this watch too.


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## mjrchabot (Apr 5, 2011)

Iconic for good reason.











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## lax101 (Oct 10, 2018)

I wish the large was a 38mm case rather than 40mm. That being said, I am leaning towards getting the large in the next week or two, with a 7" wrist myself.


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## TwoToneHappyness (6 mo ago)

lax101 said:


> I wish the large was a 38mm case rather than 40mm. That being said, I am leaning towards getting the large in the next week or two, with a 7" wrist myself.


I wish the large was 42mm as I think it’s a bit small for my wrist 😁


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## hiboost (Nov 16, 2010)

lax101 said:


> I wish the large was a 38mm case rather than 40mm. That being said, I am leaning towards getting the large in the next week or two, with a 7" wrist myself.


Have you tried both sizes on? Medium definitely seems to be the more popular size unless you have a massive wrist. I've never seen a 7" wrist that looked better on the Large. Not sure if this will help at all, but I feel the DateJust 41 is the biggest watch I have that can still pass as dressy (I have a 7" wrist as well). As a result I made this scale mock-up comparing the Medium and Large to it. I just feel the Large is too big for this application. The Santos isn't supposed to fit like a diver, it's supposed to be refined and elegant with a hint of sportiness. IMO anyway


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## lax101 (Oct 10, 2018)

hiboost said:


> Have you tried both sizes on? Medium definitely seems to be the more popular size unless you have a massive wrist. I've never seen a 7" wrist that looked better on the Large. Not sure if this will help at all, but I feel the DateJust 41 is the biggest watch I have that can still pass as dressy (I have a 7" wrist as well). As a result I made this scale mock-up comparing the Medium and Large to it. I just feel the Large is too big for this application. The Santos isn't supposed to fit like a diver, it's supposed to be refined and elegant with a hint of sportiness. IMO anyway
> 
> View attachment 16886690


Thanks--yes, I've tried both. I think the medium would have worked fine as a dress watch, but as a sports watch/everyday watch, I found it to be a tad too small. And I've learned my lesson that I never get enough use out of dress watches.

What really appeals to me is the blue dial reference, which only comes on the large. But yes, I don't necessarily disagree with anything you're saying. All the more reason that I wish they had a "goldilocks" version in between the medium and large.


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## Fedev (Feb 22, 2021)

hiboost said:


> Have you tried both sizes on? Medium definitely seems to be the more popular size unless you have a massive wrist. I've never seen a 7" wrist that looked better on the Large. Not sure if this will help at all, but I feel the DateJust 41 is the biggest watch I have that can still pass as dressy (I have a 7" wrist as well). As a result I made this scale mock-up comparing the Medium and Large to it. I just feel the Large is too big for this application. The Santos isn't supposed to fit like a diver, it's supposed to be refined and elegant with a hint of sportiness. IMO anyway
> 
> View attachment 16886690


You're spot on!


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## Loevhagen (Dec 15, 2013)

The *large* will make you look like a ...


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## TwoToneHappyness (6 mo ago)

hiboost said:


> Have you tried both sizes on? Medium definitely seems to be the more popular size unless you have a massive wrist. I've never seen a 7" wrist that looked better on the Large. Not sure if this will help at all, but I feel the DateJust 41 is the biggest watch I have that can still pass as dressy (I have a 7" wrist as well). As a result I made this scale mock-up comparing the Medium and Large to it. I just feel the Large is too big for this application. The Santos isn't supposed to fit like a diver, it's supposed to be refined and elegant with a hint of sportiness. IMO anyway
> 
> View attachment 16886690


I have a santos large and a dj41 - the Rolex definitely wears bigger than the santos partly because it’s more reflective with the fluted bezel and jubilee bracelet but also in thickness. I would say if the DJ isn’t too big then the Santos L won’t be.


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## usccopeland (Jan 20, 2021)

TwoToneHappyness said:


> I have a santos large and a dj41 - I would say if the DJ isn’t too big then the Santos L won’t be.


I have both as well and find them great fits on my 7.25 wrist. They also dress up and dress down just fine.


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## hiboost (Nov 16, 2010)

TwoToneHappyness said:


> I have a santos large and a dj41 - the Rolex definitely wears bigger than the santos partly because it’s more reflective with the fluted bezel and jubilee bracelet but also in thickness. I would say if the DJ isn’t too big then the Santos L won’t be.





usccopeland said:


> I have both as well and find them great fits on my 7.25 wrist. They also dress up and dress down just fine.


Interesting. On my wrist, at least to my eyes, the Large Santos comes off bigger than the DJ41. This makes sense to me because the DJ41 actually measures less than 40mm, and it's a circular (ish) shape. Versus a 39.5mm rectangular shape, the Large Santos ends up with more surface area. I don't know if I'd say it's "too big" as a generic watch, but I do feel it loses the classic smaller vibe that this model has always had. But, most importantly, I applaud Cartier for offering two sizes and letting consumers pick the look they like!


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## lax101 (Oct 10, 2018)

I think it's important to keep in mind that a dead-on wrist shot will usually make a watch appear larger than it actually is. Practically anything 40mm and up will make it look like the watch is swallowing up your wrist.

Meanwhile, when shown in the mirror, the large Santos looks completely fine on my 6.75-7" wrist.


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## oztech (Apr 30, 2015)

I think the surface area is like 25% more on a square type face even though the medium measures across at 35mm it looks more in line with a 38mm watch.


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## toade (Dec 15, 2009)

I agree that on a 7" wrist (as I also have), the large Santos is definitely on the large side... And loses some of it's elegance.

That said, the medium is a bit small, which skews it more towards a dress watch than a sports watch. I too wish there were a 37. 

The all black wears smaller than the white, by about 2mm, and is much easier to pull off... But then you lose a little of the timelessness that you get with the white dial.


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## Earthjade (Jan 5, 2018)

Any wrist can wear the Santos medium - that's not a problem.
The real question is who can wear the Santos large.


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## OhioMade (Oct 19, 2011)

The medium is the more classically proportioned, plus the size looks good on your wrist. Wear it in good health.

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