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Cartier Santos 100


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Cartier Santos 100

A little history behind Cartier & their watches.

Some of you may already know that in the late 1800's and early 1900's Mass Production of watches was becoming a big deal in the industry. Pioneered by Vacheron Constantin, and then taken to another level by the Waltham Watch Company. It was during this time, between 1920 & 1950 that wrist watches were becoming predominantly more popular, overtaking its older cousin, the pocket watch. With this new found industry, watch making was beginning to flourish.

In 1904, Brazilian Aviator Alberto Santos Dumont asked his friend Louis Cartier to come up with an alternative that would allow him to keep both hands on the controls while timing his performances during flight. Cartier and his master watchmaker, Edmond Jaeger soon came up with the first prototype for a man's wristwatch called the Santos wristwatch. The Santos first went on sale in 1911, the date of Cartier's first production of wristwatches. Cartier is known for developing the very first wristwatch for men. (Patek Phillipe made the first one for women.)

In 1907, Cartier signed a contract with Edmond Jaeger, who agreed to exclusively supply the movements for Cartier watches. By this time, Cartier had branches in London, New York and St. Petersburg and was quickly becoming one of the most successful watch companies in the world. The introduction of the Baignoire and Tortue models (both of which are still in production today) took place in 1912, followed by the Tank model's debut in 1917. The Cartier tank model, designed by Louis Cartier, was inspired from the newly introduced war machines on the Western Front. This line too has survived, with over thirty varieties now being made since.

In the early 1920s Cartier formed a joint company with Edward Jaeger (of Jaeger- LeCoultre) to produce movements solely for Cartier. Thus was the European Watch & Clock Company born, although Cartier continued to use movements from other great makers. Cartier watches can be found with movements from Vacheron Constantin, Audemars-Piguet, Movado and LeCoultre. It was also during this period that Cartier began adding its own reference numbers to the watches it sold, usually by stamping a four-digit code on the underside of a lug.

Here are a couple of pictures of the genuine:

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The Cartier Santos 100 that we are reviewing came from Josh at Perfect Clones. One of the big issues people had with the older versions of this rep was the fact that the dial was quite a bit off from the gen. One of the biggest things about the genuine Santos is the fact that the dial is actually curved. Rocket754 made some famous "Rocket Dial" Santos reps which were really quite great! I had the original one that I bought off of Rocket and for some dumb reason, i sold it a while back as I didn't think I would be wearing that much.

When Josh (Perfect Clones) & Andrew (Trusty Time) announced a new Ultimate Cartier Santos 100, I had to go for it. I must say, I am really pleased that I did. You will notice in the pictures below that the dial is, in fact, curved. Just like the gen. Also, the Cabochon Sapphire Crown is quite lovely. It is very well made, and has a very nice deep blue hue to it. For those of you wondering what a Cabochon is; it is a gemstone that has been shaped and polished as opposed to faceted. The resulting form is usually a convex top with a flat bottom. Cutting en cabochon is usually applied to opaque gems, while facetting is usually applied to transparent stones.

Other notes about the rep: The case is superb. Very nice CG's. Brushing and Polishing is excellent. The case back is well made, and quite thick. As usual, the screws are a little cheap, so be careful if you decide to take off the caseback. The movement I got was the 2824-2, and it is verified and working quite well. A few swirls in the hand and the movement starts right up. The "faux" croc band is too be expected. Not the greatest quality, and certainly something I plan to replace very, very soon. I am either going to get another HK Tan strap (like the one I had on the Rocket Dial version) or, if I can find one, a nice OEM strap. The buckle is quite decent, and compared to the gen that I have, it is very similar. It doesn't have that "gen-like" feel when it clicks and locks, but it isn't too bad. The gen is definitely better.

So...without any further ado, here are several pics of my newest acquisition :D

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Hope you enjoyed!

Oh....and of course.....the Wrist Shot!! :D

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Great looking watch Red. :thumbsupsmileyanim:

I've been looking to this one for ages and still can't decide if I should go for it.

Thanks for sharing or ...hate you for putting this one back on my list :black_eye:

Sorry Stephane....I was in the same situation. I had one a while ago that I didn't wear too often so I foolishly sold it. Missed it ever since. It's not something I will wear very often, but it's a great dress watch and that's when I missed it the most :D In my opinion, it just looks fantastic with a dress shirt or a suit.

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Yeah I thought that was pretty humorous myself, but hey, it really does look good! May not be a ruby, but his claim of "Correct Cabachon Crown" is pretty spot on. It's hard to capture in a picture, but there are certain angles that you can hold the watch in and the crown shines this really beautiful deep blue color. I'm really blown away by the quality of it.

Once I get the HK Tan strap and gen clasp mounted, I think it will be perfect :D As it is, the rep strap has a very plastic feel (and smell) to it. It's also just a little bit too thick for the gen clasp.

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  • 2 months later...

Has anybody ordered these $60 replacement straps selling on the bay? I'm just wondering if they are any better than what comes with the watch. I genuine one cost $350 straps only, which makes me want to think twice.

I have bought one, and have to say it is worst tha the version shown in this review :thumbdown: ... I think the only solution is the GEN... all my Santos wear GENs... (except SS) :thumbsupsmileyanim:

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Thanks for the tip! The problem with gen straps is the cost. I can spend $350+ on a gen SS bracelet, but on a croc strap, I will have to think twice. I'm sure they are nice and worth every penny and it's just me.

I got my Santos 100 today from Joshua. I have to say it's very good. The watch itself has very simple design, which really helps on the accuracy of the rep. The case has very very good bushed finish. The sapphire crystal is great and so as the curved dial. The bezel screws came not tightened, so i had to given them another quarter turn each. No big deal. The box on the other hand, is not so much. However, it is a nice bonus.

Let's just say, the watch is so good that I bought my second one already... :)

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Hi guy,

I just got a Santos Ultimate with SS bracelet. Just like yours, the crystal on the crown is lighter blue in color. Which one do you think it's more accurate? Joshua doesn't sell ones with SS bracelet, I wonder if there are more than one factory making these watches... Any thoughts?

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