The Cartier Santos is the Best Watch of 2025

Cartier watches may be the fastest growing and most disruptive force in the luxury watch market in 2026. Once considered a jeweler with nothing more than a passing interest in watchmaking, Cartier has emerged as a serious rival to Rolex and Omega. The Cartier Tank, Cartier Santos, and Santos Dumont combine sophistication with real history and accessible prices. Launched in 1904, the Cartier Santos is a classic that almost defies genres. Its initial owner, Alberto Santos Dumont, was an airship pilot who later graduated to fixed-wing aircraft. As a result, the Cartier "Santos" model produced by Louis Cartier for his friend simultaneously was the first pilot's watch, the first Cartier wristwatch, and one of the first wristwatches of any kind. Necessary to operate a two-hand airship, the wristwatch format made sense when no free hands were available to grab a pocket watch. Today, the Cartier Santos covers a large amount of ground. The Santos sports watch is a relatively affordable integrated bracelet sports watch that sets itself apart from a large field of competitors. Priced at $8,650 in stainless steel, the 39.8mm Santos embodies what may be the best deal in luxury watches. It's water resistant to 100 meters, anitmagnetic to 1,200 Gauss, and equipped with both a strap and a bracelet from the factory. Its Quick Switch lugs allow rapid swapping of the bracelet and strap, and the Smart Link system permits easy sizing of the bracelet without a tool. For 2025, the Cartier Santos