Cartier Watch Reviews

Archive for the ‘Santos’ Category

Industrial Timekeeping

If you favor the industrial and utilitarian over the subtle or outright glitzy, there may just be a Cartier watch for you. The Cartier Santos 100 W20121U2 men’s watch is a big square block of wrist-bound time keeping machinery with telltale Cartier accents and quality. The Santos 100 looks sturdy. It looks manly. In fact, it looks downright industrial.

This watch’s look begins with its wide black rubber bracelet and is anchored by its large, square block of a case. Taking the look further, the band is connected to the case by two visible steel screws on each side. Eight more steel screws affix the case. They stand out, too, as they’re over a black rubber strip that covers the stationary steel bezel. The crown is also steel, set with another piece of black rubber. The dial face, protected by scratch resistant sapphire, is white with black oxidized steel hands and the iconic Cartier eschewed Roman numeral hour markers. The Cartier Santos 100 W20121U2 men’s watch has the automatic winding Cartier caliber 049 mechanical movement and it is water resistant to 330 feet.

The Cartier Santos 100 W20121U2 men’s watch retails for $6,250 at the Cartier website and authorized boutique stores, coming with a limited two year manufacturer’s warranty.

Technorati Tags: cartier, Men’s Watch, Santos, Santos 100, W20121U2

Princess Mathilde Bonaparte wearing Cartier jewelry in the mid-1800s

Little did French jeweler Adolphe Picard realize in the mid 1800s that his young apprentice, Louis François Cartier, would take over his business in 1847 upon his retirement and launch a company that would make jewelry and watch making history.

Cartier was a man with a gift and he used it to the best of his abilities and beyond while working for Picard for only pennies a day.  He became known for creating elegant yet simple pieces.  Sooner after he opened his new store he became a favorite of royals like Princess Mathilde Bonaparte, who was Napoleon III’s cousin.  This put Cartier on the map in the luxury jewelry world from the very beginning of his business career.

In the next decade Cartier designed some of the most unique, ornate pieces and often incorporated animals and birds.  His list of high-end clients continued to grow as the brand became exclusive.  The very first Cartier timepiece was created at the end of the century with little applause.  At this time Cartier’s sons joined the family business and helped transform the Art Nouveau pieces into a new Art Deco form.

In the early 1900s watchmaker Edmond Jaeger helped the Cartier family create beautiful jeweled timepieces made from light metal platinum instead of heavy gold.  This led to the first Tank wristwatch design as well as the Santos timepiece.

Cartier has withstood financial setbacks and a changing of the guard and is today owned by the Vendôme Luxury Group PLC.  The company continues its rich tradition of elegance, simplicity and innovation in jewelry and timepieces.

Technorati Tags: cartier, cartier history, cartier jewelry, cartier timepieces, Louis Francois Cartier, luxury jewelry, luxury timepieces, luxury watches, Santos timepiece, Tank wristwatch

WATCH

Here’s a watch that’s not afraid to be a WATCH. It’s a big hunk of a watch, in fact, and it doesn’t pretend to be anything else. It’s in a big hunk of steel, too, with eight screws on its face that give it a bit of a heavy duty industrial feel. The Cartier Santos 100 W20073X8 men’s watch has no date, no sub-dials, no stopwatch, no extra time zone, no diamonds, no pretense — just a whole lot of Cartier watch.

The Santos 100 W20073X8 men’s watch has a square, stainless steel case with a silvered opaline dial, protected by a scratch resistant sapphire crystal window. Set in its stainless steel crown is a blue faceted synthetic spinel. Its black oxidized steel hands, which are sword shaped and luminescent, point to the Cartier eschewed Roman numerals. The movement is Cartier caliber 049 automatic winding mechanical and the watch is water resistant up to 100 meters. The case is 51 millimeters long by 41 mm wide and 10 mm thick. The strap is black alligator skin.

The Santos 100 W20073X8 men’s watch retails for $5,825 and is available on the Cartier website and at Cartier boutique stores. When purchased through Cartier, it can be personalized with a complementary engraving.

Technorati Tags: cartier, Men’s Watch, Santos, W20073X8

W20011C4 Cartier Santos Galbee Men’s Watch

The W20011C4 Cartier Santos Galbee Men’s Watch combines a bold, rugged style of contruction with a classy casual look that hold within it a strong hint of glamour.  The W20011C4 Cartier Santos Galbee Men’s Watch features solid stainless steel and 18-karat gold bracelet and case, a beige analog dial display and Swiss Quartz movement.

Description

The W20011C4 Cartier Santos Galbee Men’s Watch contains an antique quality in its appearance with the visible patterns of screws lining the outer edges of the wristband and which are also visible all around the bezel.  This feature adds the antique quality to the look of the watch in that its patterns of screws make the construction process of the watch outwardly visible in a fashion similar to older industrial machines and technology.  At the same time, the 18-karat gold serves to remind that this craft is more style-oriented for causal or even formal environments.

Specifications

The W20011C4 Cartier Santos Galbee Men’s Watch comes built with a solid stainless steel and 18-karat gold case and bracelet.  The bezel is made with 18-karat gold on a stainless steel case measuring 29 mm, which also includes scratch resistant sapphire crystal and a crown with a water resistance of up to 30 meters.  Hand movement for the W20011C4 Cartier Santos Galbee Men’s Watch is powered by Swiss Quartz battery.

The W20011C4 Cartier Santos Galbee Men’s Watch retails at an MSRP of $5,675.00 USD and includes a 2-Year Manufacturers Warranty from Cartier.

Technorati Tags: cartier, Men’s Watch, Santos Galbee, W20011C4

The Cartier Santos 100 Women’s Watch is an elegant, medium sized, luxury watch for women. The Santos 100 for women comes in different styles and colors. Available in stainless steel and 18k gold, with a choice of  a pink, burgundy or black alligator straps and optional bezel set with round cut diamonds, this watch is a must have for self-proclaimed “fashionistas”.

Product Description

The W20106X8 Cartier Santos 100 woman’s watch features a steel octagonal crown set with a facetted spinnel, silvered opaline dial with roman numerals, on an alligator strap with an adjustable buckle. It has an automatic (self winding) movement and is water resistant to 100 meters (330 feet). The dial is silver and the dial’s texture is guilloche. The crystal is sapphire and scratch resistant. The case and bezel are stainless steel and the case measures 32 mm (1.26 in). The case back is screwed down. Made in Switzerland, the watch comes with a 12 month warranty.

Highlights

The Cartier Santos 100 was launched in 1911 by the founder of the House of Cartier’s grandson,  Louis-Francois Cartier, who introduced the Santos to Cartier’s timepiece collection and began Cartier’s rich history of fashion watchmaking.

Who’s Wearing It?

The Cartier Santos 100 has been seen on top fashion editor and celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe. She even chose the Santos 100 as one of her favorite watches.

Extra, Extra!
Kim Kardashian Loves her Cartier Watches

Technorati Tags: Cartier, cartier santos, cartier watch review, cartier womens watches, W20126X8