The Santos is where men’s wristwatches began. Louis Cartier designed it in 1904 for his friend the Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont, who needed both hands on the controls of his early flying machines and couldn’t reach for a pocket watch. That’s the origin story of the wristwatch as a men’s accessory. 122 years later the Santos still looks like a Santos and still does the job.
This one is the reference WSSA0039 in the all-black DLC finish. Cartier coats the entire case and bezel in black diamond-like carbon but deliberately leaves the exposed screws polished steel — the seven signature screws on the bezel and the ones on the bracelet fittings — so the outline reads clean and the trademark detail still pops. Black dial, white Roman numerals, luminous sword hands. On the black rubber strap with an extra black leather strap included in the box, unworn.
The Large size (39.8mm) is the men’s spec — sits properly on a modern wrist and lets the exposed-screw case detail read at proper scale. The rubber strap is Cartier’s own, matched to the DLC case, and the QuickSwitch system lets you swap over to the leather in about ten seconds without tools. It’s the most versatile Santos configuration Cartier makes right now.
This example is dated 2026 in excellent condition — there are some light marks near the bezel that we’ve noted honestly. Full set with the original Cartier box, papers, and the extra leather strap. Warranty has been extended to 2034 under Cartier Care, the manufacturer’s extended coverage program giving you eight years of factory warranty from purchase. At $9,800 for a 2026 full-set DLC Santos Large with eight years of warranty running, this sits well below current boutique retail on the same reference. Viewings by appointment, Sydney CBD.
Price: $9,800 AUD
Condition: Excellent (light marks near bezel) — full set with box, papers, extra leather strap. Cartier warranty until 2034 (Cartier Care)
Reference: WSSA0039 (2026, 39.8mm black DLC steel, black dial with white Romans, on rubber with extra leather)
Enquiries by appointment — Sydney CBD.