When I am not arguing with people about 36mm Day Dates being the perfect sized Rolex, I can be found extolling the virtues of incredibly small watches, just like the Santos de Cartier. I have been asked at meet ups about how small a watch I would wear. It all depends on the watch.

When this sexy little two tone bastard came out in the late 70s it had two sizes. 29mm for men and 24mm for women. As most people consider 36mm a female size these days, you can imagine some of the comments I get when wearing this 29mm watch. Gordon Gheko rocked a solid gold Santos in the movie Wall Street, so fuck all of them.

I was originally looking for a Cartier Panthere in the same size but once I found out it was only available in quartz, I quickly moved on to the Santos. The Panthere had taken my fancy after seeing a picture of Keith Richards wearing one. I would say my fashion sense is a perfect mixture of Keith and a big issue selling methodone addict. Old rockstars never wore big watches. It had to be elegant.

This watch is such a joy to wear. You can tell that the watch is made by a jewelry company because it feels quality. When all the other brands were making bracelets of tin foil with old paperclips holding them together, Cartier was making this fine watch. The bracelet is very similar in my mind to Royal Oaks of the same era. It just wears really beautifully and shimmers in the light. The Santos de Cartier feels more like a piece of jewelry with a watch on it.

It has a beautiful simple dial and wonderful blued hands. The gold bezel and screws on the watch are so subtle. I’m not a fan of two tone watches but this one really does it for me. If you have the self confidence to wear a tiny steel and gold Cartier then it just might do it for you too.