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The Santos de Cartier Dual Time was a hit at Watches & Wonders 2024. So with one week to go until we’re back in Geneva for this year’s fair, why not review the perfect travel companion?

This will be a review with a difference. Normally when one of us at Watch Advice reviews a watch, we try not to review another one that is very similar to it, rather we would opt for another team member to do it and give you their experience with it. After all, we all have different tastes in watches, dress styles and most importantly, wrist size. But, I decided to break the rules a little with this one. I reviewed the Santos de Cartier Large Brown Dial in June last year, but while I was reviewing that, I kept thinking it would be great to have reviewed the new Dual Time as well. So fast-forward almost a year later and we got our hands on the Dual Time thanks to our friends at Cartier and without giving too much away too early, I think it’s better…

First Impressions

The Santos dual time was one of the major releases for Cartier last year at Watches & Wonders, which I wrote about here, and when we were able to get our hands on the piece in Geneva in April 2024, I immediately gravitated towards this watch over the other releases. For me, this piece was a great blend of elegance and sportiness. With the added complication of the dual time sub-dial at 6 o’clock, it gave this piece an additional complication, but also something completely new from a dial aesthetic perspective.

Like all new Santos, the ability to change the bracelet and strap with QuickSwitch easily is a winner in my book, not to mention the bracelet has Cartier’s SmartLink, which allows you to click an almost hidden button on the inner side of the links to add or subtract a link yourself, without the need to take it to watchmaker or the use of tools – although there is a tool to make it a little easier to push the pins back in if you need it. Additionally, mirroring my comments on the brown dial Santos, the Santos de Cartier is such a great versatile watch that can be worn in almost any situation, and with the option to change the bracelet for the leather strap, this makes it even more so.

The Design

If you want to get a quick history lesson on the Santos and its design and evolution, then be sure to read our Watch Icons article: The Santos Stories to get an understanding of where the Santos comes from and why Louis Cartier came up with the piece back in 1904 in the first place. Because of this, and my previous review, I won’t labour on all the case and bracelet design details, but I’ll touch on the most important parts based on my wearing experience this time around.

The Cartier Santos Stories: Looking Into A Brief History Of The Iconic Watch

For me, what drew me into the Santos Dual Time is the dial, and how Cartier has designed it with the dual time function and greys that work so well on this watch. The dial has all the hallmarks of the Cartier Santos, such as the Roman numerals around the outside of the dial, the railway track minutes track that sits between the Roman numerals and the hands giving you the ability to tell the time more accurately down to the minute, and also the sword style hands the Santos is famous for.

As this is the large version of the Santos, it has the date wheel at 3 o’clock which is colour-matched to the dial and the numbers matching the light grey elements on the dial. It’s small details like this that make a big difference. The dual-time sub-dial at six stands out from the rest in a lighter grey. Thanks to the circular graining and how it picks up the light, it does change shades a little depending on your environment. In the sun, it’s super light, almost white, however, inside the dial becomes a darker shade. The day we took the photos for this review it was quite cloudy and had been raining so we captured the dial in its more muted version, but this shows off its subtle complexity, which I love.

I will say however, while the dial looks great, I felt that Cartier could have made the railway minutes track as well as the dual time dial and Cartier logo slightly lighter and more pronounced. I would loved to have seen here just a tad bit more contrast between those elements and the dark grey sun-brushed dial. However, this is a personal preference and really comes down to what you like in a dial design.

Outside the dial, you still have all the great elements that make up the Santos, from the curved lugs allowing the case to sit on your wrist, to the polished raised bezel that houses the curved sapphire crystal, and of course, the blue spinel on the crown are all iconic hallmarks of the Santos.

On the leather strap, the dark grey alligator really transforms the watch and gives it a whole new look. The dark grey matches the dial very well and takes it from being more sports to more dress in terms of style. The leather strap fits in perfectly to the case via Cartier’s QuickSwitch system, and the matte textured finish adds to the luxury of the piece. I’ve always been a fan of a soft textured leather strap, but just note, after a bit of time on the wrist, the soft texturing will disappear and have a shinier look to it as it ages.

How It Wears

This time around, I have the choice of wearing the Santos on both the steel bracelet as well as the grey leather strap. Surprisingly, I actually preferred this piece on the leather strap from both the way it looked as well as the way it wore on the wrist. When I had the brown dial Santos last year, it was winter time and as a result, my wrist was on the smaller side, so the steel bracelet actually hugged my wrist nicely and I could find the perfect fit.

However, this time around it is still summer weather here where and still warm, so my wrist is on the larger side compared to the cooler months. Because of this, I had to add an extra link into the bracelets for it to be comfortable on my wrist, but I felt it was just that tad bit loose whereas with one link less, it just felt too snug. This is an eternal issue I face with steel bracelets that don’t have a quick micro adjust.

The leather strap, however, fitted me perfectly and given the humidity had started to drop out of the air, it meant I could wear this piece comfortably and not worry too much about the leather strap and sweat. In fact, having the strap meant that I was able to dress it up a little when heading out for a rare night out in the city with my wife, and it looked great on, and felt even better. Unfortunately, she isn’t a photographer, so no snaps on my wrist that night.

On the wrist, the fold-over clasp is nice and refined as well, and as the strap slides through the folding clasp on the underside, it means there is no need for strap minders and the leftover strap tucks nicely in against your wrist. This gives the watch a cleaner look when on, added to this, the fold-over clasp is minimalist in design, so it has less bulk than a conventional clasp, any small swirl marks or scratches will barely show thanks to the rounded design.

I mentioned the design of the case and how it shapes to the wrist earlier on, and in practice, it does just that. The lug-to-lug of 47.5mm helps with this a lot, as does the slight curvature of the lugs and the way the bracelet’s end links sit flush and don’t protrude past the end of the case itself, as some steel bracelets do. The curve of the crystal and the bezel assist with the appearance, making it look like the watch moulds around the wrist. The fact that the Santos Dual Time is only 10.1mm thick yet again, aids with this.

The Movement

The Santos de Cartier houses the automatic winding Cartier Dual Time Movement, which is a modified Sellita SW330 that Cartier tinkers with to adhere to their standards. The dual time movement beats at 4Hz / 28,800 VpH and has a modest power reserve of 42 hours. This is not a bespoke movement, nor will it win awards, but it is a highly functional movement based on a tried and true workhorse.

The dual time zone function is easy to use as well. Just like the standard hours and minutes, you pull the crown out to position one, and this allows you to cycle the second time zone to the correct time, and when the hand crosses the 12, will tell you if it’s AM or PM as indicated by the light grey circle (AM) or it goes dark for PM. While the crown is in the first position, you can rotate the crown in the opposite direction to quickly set the date. Pull it out to the second position to adjust the local time as normal. It is a pretty intuitive system and one that makes it easy to use without any issues.

Final Thoughts

It has been almost a year between having the Santos de Cartier brown dial on the wrist and the Dual Time. Enough time has passed, and watches on my wrist as well, for me to not fully recall all the experiences I had with the brown dial Santos. But having the dual time on, and re-reading my review from June 2024 my memory is refreshed. I did say in my previous review that the brown dial wasn’t for everyone as it was a very specific colour. I didn’t love it personally myself for that reason. However, this watch ticks the boxes for me the brown dial didn’t.

The dual time zone function is a very useful tool, especially for those who are frequent travellers, or they need to track another time zone, such as relatives overseas, or work calls etc. As it’s not really a GMT in the traditional sense, you can use it how you like. The one aspect of this piece that I found myself not loving was the polished Roman Numerals. Yes, they are very iconic to the Santos, but the polished numerals can get lost in the anthracite dial depending on the angle you look at the watch, and the light conditions inside and out. For me, I could imagine this piece with Super-LumiNova-filled numerals as well as the sword hands. This would not only provide more contrast to the grey dial but enhance the nighttime visibility as well.

Overall, my experience wearing the Santos de Cartier Dual Time has been great, and I have thoroughly enjoyed having this on my wrist for the past week and being able to get out and about with it as well. The anthracite sun-brushed dial works so well, and the addition of the grey alligator strap means you’ve got two different looks at your disposal, depending on your outfit and mood. If I were to pick up a Santos de Cartier right now, I feel this would be the watch I’d choose.

Reference: WSSA0076

Specifications

• Case Size: 40.2mm x 47.5mm lug-to-lug x 10.1mm thick
• Case Material: Brushed and polished stainless steel with polished fixed bezel
• Dial: Anthracite grey sunray-brushed dial with rhodium-finished & polished steel sword-shaped hands and luminescent material.
• Movement: Modified Sellita SW330 automatic Dual Time beating at 4Hz . 28,800VpH and pivoting on 25 jewels
• Power Reserve: Approx. 42 hours
• Water Resistance: 100m (10bar)
• Crystal: Curved Sapphire crystal
• Strap/Bracelet: Stainless steel interchangeable bracelet with the QuickSwitch system and SmartLink adjustment, plus a dark grey alligator leather strap with QuickSwitch interchangeable system and folding buckle.

Australian Recommended Retail Price: A$14,900

Availability: Available through Cartier Boutiques or online at Cartier.com.au

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