Watch of the Week: Santos de Cartier Chronograph

The Santos de Cartier Chronograph can best be described as dynamic elegance. Its sense of refinement comes from the iconic case and its distinct bezel, which now extends to where the bracelet or strap begins, one of the hallmarks of the in 2018 redesigned collection. While it maintains the recognizable profile of the Santos, it also provides it with a fresh look. The chronograph version is visually more dynamic than its time-only sibling. This is in part due to the subdials, which Cartier spaced out perfectly. The dial features the signature Roman numerals, along with a partial railroad track along the outer perimeter, marking the hours and minutes.

The center of the dial has a beautiful brushed finish, which the three subdials ‘cut in.’ The two larger ones at the three and nine o’clock positions indicate the minutes and hours that have passed since the chronograph has been started. The smaller subdial at six o’clock is for the running seconds, with the date function incorporated. This contributes to the balanced look of the Santos de Cartier Chronograph, but ‘La Maison’ did more to achieve this. A keen observer will notice that the watch lacks the traditional chronograph pushers on the right side of the case. Instead, there is only a single button on the left side. However, this doesn’t make the watch a monopusher chronograph, as this button is only used to start and stop the chronograph while resetting it is done by pushing the crown. These functions are made possible by caliber 1904 CH MC, an automatic manufacture movement, which can be admired through the sapphire caseback.

Cartier is offering the Santos de Cartier Chronograph in three distinct flavors. Top of the line is the full-gold edition, which gives the watch a particularly luxurious look and feel. This is quite different from the version with a stainless steel case and ADLC-bezel. Especially combined with its rubber strap is this by far the most sportive version of the Santos de Cartier Chronograph. For people who want something in between these two styles, is there the classic combination of stainless steel with gold. For many, is this the most recognized style as Cartier was back in the day one of the driving forces that made this combination of metals popular. Today it still hasn’t lost any of its charms and underscores the dynamic elegance that the Santos de Cartier Chronograph has today.