COLLECTOR TOOLS · CARTIER
Cartier Santos Reference Guide
The Santos directory spans bracelet watches, Santos-Dumont references and later executions. Search the complete reference first, then use dimensions, winding type and source photographs to narrow the match.
Separate the Santos families
Santos Galbée, Santos-Dumont, Santos 100 and Santos de Cartier are useful starting points for navigation. A shared Santos name does not establish the same case, bracelet, calibre or service parts.
A small case number can answer a different question
Our 1565 archive example is a compact steel Santos Galbée with a quartz movement and a recorded 24 mm width. That case reference helps identify the example; it does not provide a universal decoder for every dial and bracelet combination.
Mechanical does not always mean automatic
Reference 1575 in the cited platinum Santos-Dumont example is manually wound and documented with calibre 021 MC. Avoid allowing a broad collection filter to replace a reference-specific movement check.
Bracelet fit deserves its own check
Ask for the actual bracelet length, spare links and clear clasp photographs when buying. A database case measurement cannot tell you whether an individual bracelet will fit. Inspect finishing and component condition independently of a matching reference.
Selected reference articles
Santos Galbée 1565
Our archive supplies a steel quartz example and a recorded 24 mm width. Its case length is not recorded. The photograph shows the watch handled by Watch & Bullion; it should not be treated as proof that another watch with the same case number has the same dial, bracelet or condition.
Santos-Dumont 1575
The cited platinum example uses a manually wound 021 MC calibre and is recorded at 27 × 36 mm. Its documented sale in 1996 is a date for that example, not a production range. The research record specifically distinguishes it from 1576B; the two numbers should not be normalised into one result.
These selected articles are the editorial starting point. The Cartier reference finder holds the broader source-linked directory, including records that need further documentation.
How to use this guide
Search a complete commercial reference or the reference engraved on the caseback. Keep individual serial numbers separate. Read each source note before comparing measurements. Matching a reference does not date or authenticate an individual watch.
Specifications and examples in this guide are linked to their sources in the reference articles below. Missing fields remain unconfirmed; sale dates are not converted into production dates.
Buying or selling a Cartier Santos?
Tell us the reference you are researching, or send clear photographs and details of your watch. We can discuss sourcing or a potential purchase.
