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Calling all Cartier Santos Experts


mrboombasteke

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I fell in love with this watch after crossbones posted a pic of his chrono and I've spent the last few days scouring the threads of all my favorite rep forums. Based on the 2 solid reviews below, I need some help.

SEPT 2010

Cartier Santos 100 XL (Gen vs. New Ult Ver 2824 vs. SS/SS) review by aanival

Conclusion: Best rep (excluding the $1500 version) is the Santos 100 XL with the 2824-2 movement stainless steel on stainless steel bracelet.

JUNE 2009

Cartier Santos 100 XL (Gen vs. WBK vs. PWC vs. Rocket) review by unregistered

Conclusion: PWC had the least flaws.

JAN 2011

Cartier Santos Franken by txcollector

Conclusion: BRAVO! This is a work of art that will likely never be duplicated. Hats off.

Now, based on this information and the fact that the Cartier Santos Chrono with A7753 is out, would you get the Chrono with the fixed date wheel or get the SS/SS based? If you have wrist shots of any of Santos, please post.

:pimp:

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I bought the ultimate and made a franken with a gen dial and crown. So I was able to analyze the most important parts side by side, outside of the watch.

http://www.1-pc8838.com/cars00088bk-santos-ssle-white-swiss-2824-p-8914.html

  1. The ultimate is by far the best Santos out there. You won't regret getting it.
  2. I have never seen the bracelet version but I find it strange they would do a new case/dial for it.
  3. The older models are not as good (that includes the PWC, WBK, etc.) in relation to dial, case, crystal or crown.
  4. The main issue with the ultimate Santos is the dial color. The gen is whiter than the rep. No way to fix that. However you probably won't see it unless you have the gen side by side.
  5. The ultimate dial print is actually different in size than the gen so the bevel on the face of the crystal seems larger than it is.
  6. You will need a new strap regardless of model. Without a real croc strap it will look off.
  7. I'm not holding my breath for the new A7753 chono Santos. The DW position on the A7753 is different than the ETA one so the dial is likely to have visible flaws. Also the older ETA 7753 based chrono had a yellowish dial (much like the ultimate) so I'm not 100% sure they will get the color right either.

I hope this helps.

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txcollector--you got a pic or a wrist shot?

I bought the ultimate and made a franken with a gen dial and crown. So I was able to analyze the most important parts side by side, outside of the watch.

http://www.1-pc8838.com/cars00048bk-santos-ssle-white-swiss-2671-p-9586.html

  1. The ultimate is by far the best Santos out there. You won't regret getting it.
  2. I have never seen the bracelet version but I find it strange they would do a new case/dial for it.
  3. The older models are not as good (that includes the PWC, WBK, etc.) in relation to dial, case, crystal or crown.
  4. The main issue with the ultimate Santos is the dial color. The gen is whiter than the rep. No way to fix that. However you probably won't see it unless you have the gen side by side.
  5. The ultimate dial print is actually different in size than the gen so the bevel on the face of the crystal seems larger than it is.
  6. You will need a new strap regardless of model. Without a real croc strap it will look off.
  7. I'm not holding my breath for the new A7753 chono Santos. The DW position on the A7753 is different than the ETA one so the dial is likely to have visible flaws. Also the older ETA 7753 based chrono had a yellowish dial (much like the ultimate) so I'm not 100% sure they will get the color right either.

I hope this helps.

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I believe there's a new chrono version coming out soon. Maybe you can ask Joshua if he can source a crown for you. The chrono is significantly larger than the 38mm Santos so I don't think that crown will work for you.

thanks. that was what i was hoping for.

wasnt sure if there was a better crown that is more accurate available in my size

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Here is another solid review on another Santos. If I could edit my original post, I would've added it:

JAN 2011

Cartier Santos Franken by txcollector

Conclusion: BRAVO! This is a work of art that will likely never be duplicated. Hats off.

wow! i havnt read that one before....

one question txcollector... why is that gen on a rep site ? :1a:

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  • 3 weeks later...

Aww yeah! It's wrist watch tiiiiiiiime!

My SS/SS Santos 100 arrived today...along with another super-rep. And I couldn't be happier. I used separate dealers and they both came through. The watches are absolutely stunning!! :thumbsupsmileyanim:

I love my Santos...A LOT! But I love this other super-rep even more. Any guessers?

I think it's because my Santos looks a lot bigger than I expected. And maybe also because of all the stainless steel. I'm ordering a gen black gator strap from my local AD. I think the strap is going to be more expensive than the watch!

I'll post pics soon.

:pimp:

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Aww yeah! It's wrist watch tiiiiiiiime!

My SS/SS Santos 100 arrived today...along with another super-rep. And I couldn't be happier. I used separate dealers and they both came through. The watches are absolutely stunning!! :thumbsupsmileyanim:

I love my Santos...A LOT! But I love this other super-rep even more. Any guessers?

I think it's because my Santos looks a lot bigger than I expected. And maybe also because of all the stainless steel. I'm ordering a gen black gator strap from my local AD. I think the strap is going to be more expensive than the watch!

I'll post pics soon.

you won't regret it. The OEM strap makes a lot of difference.

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Thanks for all the info in this thread!

The Santos has always been a rep apart from the "mainstream" but some people love its classic style - just like me. For me it is the one and only "bling-bling" watch I´d wear. I had the twotone version with brown strap and gen ETA 2824, which I sold a while ago. I still miss that watch sometimes - the only rep I sold and miss it.

Inspite of the flaws it´s a pretty good rep. Without a side-by-side comparison it´s hard to tell whether it´s a gen or not. Is there somewhere a rep-gen comparison-foto regarding the dial color? I guess the difference is not that much though...

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  • 2 weeks later...

txcolletctor, I do have the GEN Santos and the two versions, and I don´t apreciate the colour issue you talk about

I'll do a side by side comparison of the dials. The gen is silver and changes color in different angles. The rep (apart for the difference in printing) has a beige darker hue all around. It's almost like the dial is "dirty".

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My DSLR is gone, but I just had to post pics of the new black croc straps from the AD on my Santos. So I borrowed Mrsboombasteke's point-and-shoot and went to town. The new straps make a HUUUGE difference in presentation! As far as I'm concerned, it makes it look 10x better! It's been on my wrist since the swap and has gotten quite a number of compliments from the ladies. Might have to tone down the charm tonight and wear a PAM.

Now for the pics...

img0938oh.jpg

img0944zh.jpg

img0939jp.jpg

img0951w.jpg

img0956yx.jpg

img0958hl.jpg

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