Short on time? The Santos de Cartier descends from the watch Louis Cartier made for the aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont in 1904. The WSSA0061 is the medium size in steel, 35.1mm by 41.9mm and 8.83mm thick, with a graduated green sunray dial. Calibre 1847 MC automatic, 100 metres water resistance, QuickSwitch and SmartLink on the bracelet. Ours is a 2026 full set.
Backstory
We've written about the full Santos-Dumont story separately. The short version: a square watch with exposed screws, made for a pilot who needed both hands to fly.
The Santos de Cartier is the sporty branch of that family tree. When Cartier relaunched it in 2018, it added two features that changed how people wear it: QuickSwitch, so you can swap the bracelet for a strap without tools, and SmartLink, so you can resize the bracelet yourself. Suddenly it was a Cartier you could wear every day.
Key Details
The medium case is 35.1mm wide, 41.9mm long and just 8.83mm thick. The screws on the bezel continue onto the bracelet, which is what makes a Santos instantly recognisable. Water resistance is 100 metres.
The dial is what sets this one apart. It's a green sunray that gets darker towards the edges, with Roman numerals and sword hands. In daylight it shifts from bright green to almost black. The crown is set with a blue synthetic spinel.
The Movement
Inside is the calibre 1847 MC, Cartier's own automatic, named after the year the company was founded. It has about 40 hours of power reserve. It's not the longest reserve around, but it's reliable and easy to service.
On the Wrist
The medium size suits more wrists than you'd think. Square watches wear larger than their numbers suggest, so 35mm feels more like a 38–39mm round watch. It's thin and the bracelet is comfortable. The honest downside: the polished screws and bevels pick up scratches, so expect some wear if you use it daily.
Final Thoughts
The Santos is the easiest Cartier to wear every day, and the green dial gives it more character than the usual silver or blue. Good size, good bracelet, and a story that goes back more than a century.
Ours is a 2026 Santos de Cartier medium WSSA0061 with the green dial, full set.
