Cartier Santos, As Seen on Celebrities

With over 100 years of history to look back on, the Cartier Santos is one of the pioneers of the wrist watch industry. It’s widely considered as the first wrist watch ever created for men, famously designed by Louis Cartier himself for Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont.

Various iterations of the Cartier Santos have been created through the decades, but its iconic traits – the square case, exposed screws and Roman numerals – all remain. It has earned itself legions of fans, including some of the best dressed men in Hollywood. Here’s the Cartier Santos, as seen on stars.

Classically sized and thin, the Santos-Dumont has a style that fits well under the cuff of a suit and with more casual attire. Bridgerton‘s Regé-Jean Page and Academy Award winner Rami Malek are fans.

With options in steel, two-tone, and full 18k rose gold, the Santos-Dumont leans towards elegant and dressy, but not at all fussy. Available only with a leather strap, and powered by a quartz movement, the Santos-Dumont is also offered at a friendlier price point. It makes a lovely entry-level timepiece to the brand. Photo from GQ on Instagram

The latest update to the Santos was introduced in 2018, with Jake Gyllenhaal as the face of the new model. It took on an updated case design and a noticeably slimmer profile.

The 2018 update successfully incorporated significant advancements, while still respecting the design DNA that has made the Santos, the Santos. From the previous Santos 100 design, the strict square lines were softened to give way to rounder edges and a sloping bezel. The new bezel design also links to the lugs and the bracelet for a more continuous and elegant look. Photo from Cartier

The recent update of the Santos also presented a wide range of options for its fans. It comes in two sizes: medium and large, with both sizes coming in stainless steel, two-tone, rose gold, and yellow gold versions. Moreover, each model comes with the option of a matching Santos metal bracelet or a leather strap.

NBA’s Steph Curry was spotted with the Santos de Cartier in a blue PVD case, a 2022 release. Photo from Nick DePaula on Twitter

Introduced in 2004, the Cartier Santos 100 commemorated the model’s 100th anniversary. It introduced larger case sizes to the Santos line, as well as a chunkier and more angular shape.

With its brushed steel finish, polished bevel edges along the case sides, water resistance up to 100m and an automatic movement, the Cartier Santos 100 is a sportier take on the Santos. English actor Tom Holland has been spotted wearing a Santos 100 in steel.  Photo from Tom Holland on Instagram

Oscar winners Mahershala Ali and Daniel Kaluuya both sported the Santos Skeleton Horloge on the Academy Awards red carpet.

This ultra-luxe version of the Santos features a stripped back skeleton dial, revealing the manually wound 9611 MC movement, whose bridges take the form of Cartier’s iconic Roman numerals. A brilliantly executed skeleton watch with maximum visual impact. Photos from Cartier and Sotheby’s Jewels