Cartier Santos: price, pre-owned value, large or medium model (2026)

The Santos is Cartier's sports watch, and one of the oldest wristwatches still in production: Louis Cartier designed it in 1904 for the aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont, who wanted to read the time without letting go of the controls. Square, screwed, integrated into its bracelet, it has had several lives before the current generation, launched in 2018. On the pre-owned market it is a liquid, sought-after watch, but one that almost always resells below its boutique price. The whole question is by how much, and for which version.

Four Santos families on the market

Listings readily mix up the generations. For market value, you need to tell them apart:

• The Santos of the 1980s and 1990s: the Santos de Cartier relaunched in 1978, steel and gold with its visible screws right down to the bracelet, then the Galbée, with a slightly curved case, produced until around the mid-2000s. Today these are watches of character, often quartz or with an ETA-based automatic movement.
• The Santos 100: launched in 2004 for the model's centenary, wider and more assertive, with an automatic calibre 049 based on ETA. It was replaced by the current generation.
• The Santos de Cartier (since 2018): two sizes, a 39.8 mm large model and a 35.1 mm medium model, the automatic calibre 1847 MC, 100 metres of water resistance, and two systems that changed everyday use: QuickSwitch, to change straps without tools, and SmartLink, to adjust the length of the steel bracelet without going to a watchmaker.
• The Santos-Dumont: the thin, dressy version, relaunched in 2019, mostly quartz in steel, with manual winding in some gold versions.

The reference (WSSA… for steel in the 2018 generation, W2SA… for steel and gold, WGSA… for gold) appears on the warranty card and is engraved under the case. It tells you the size, the metal and the dial: by eye, in a photo, a large and a medium model are easily confused.

2026 value grid by reference

The ranges below come from our October 2026 price surveys. We distinguish private sales, which make up most of the sample, from prices displayed by certified dealers. Retail prices are indicative (2026 catalogue list price, approximate): Cartier revises them every year.

Across the whole model, the median of our surveys stands at around €6,250, with half of the listings between €5,100 and €7,100. The gold versions (WGSA…) form a separate market, above €25,000 in our surveys. For a dated estimate, see the Santos page, the page for reference WSSA0018 or the valuation tool.

Large or medium: the depreciation gap

This is the clearest lesson from our surveys. In private sales, the WSSA0018 large steel model resells for around €6,650 at the median, about 20% below its boutique price. The WSSA0029 medium model trades around €5,400, a depreciation close to 30%.

Two explanations add up. First, supply: the medium model has sold in large numbers and is the most common in listings (it is the most frequent reference in our sample). Second, demand: on the pre-owned market it goes first to the large model, which male buyers favour. For a buyer, a pre-owned medium model is therefore the most sensible way into the current Santos; for a seller, it needs a precise listing and no dream price.

The dials and versions that stand out

• Coloured dials (blue, green) are valued above silvered dials at the same size in our surveys: the green large model WSSA0062 is the highest-valued steel version in the sample. During the 2021 to 2022 cycle, some of these versions traded above their retail price; that is no longer the case in 2026.
• ADLC bezels (black carbon coating, see PVD and DLC) appeal to a narrower audience: the WSSA0037 trades at the level of the silvered versions.
• Steel and gold adds real value, but less than the difference in boutique price: that is the rule for two-tone versions.
• The quartz Santos-Dumont is the cheapest pre-owned. It appeals to buyers who want a thin, dressy watch, and it depreciates like a quartz watch: moderately in absolute terms.

What makes a Santos's price vary

Beyond the reference, five criteria explain most of the gaps:

1. The [full set](/glossaire/full-set). The 2018 generation is delivered with the steel bracelet and a leather strap. A watch sold without the leather, without the removed SmartLink links or without a box loses several hundred euros. We detail these gaps in box and papers: impact on price.
2. The Cartier Care warranty. By registering the watch, the international warranty can be extended to up to eight years in total: a Santos still covered reassures buyers and commands a premium. Check the warranty card and the purchase date.
3. The bezel screws. They are the model's signature and the first point of wear: a screw damaged by the wrong screwdriver shows immediately.
4. [Polishing](/glossaire/polissage). The case alternates brushed and polished surfaces; clumsy polishing erases that contrast and rounds off the edges. Our article to polish or not to polish your watch explains why to refrain before a sale.
5. The [service](/glossaire/revision) on Santos 100 and older models. Our cost benchmarks are in servicing a luxury watch: cost and frequency by brand.

Checks before buying

• The match between the serial number engraved under the case and the one on the card.
• The QuickSwitch mechanism: the bracelet must unclip and clip back firmly, on both sides.
• The SmartLink links: ask whether all the links are supplied, and check that the bracelet has not been shortened below your wrist size.
• [Authentication](/glossaire/authentification): the Santos is one of the most copied Cartiers. Our pre-owned buying guide details the checks to make before paying.

Selling a Santos in 2026

Demand is solid, especially for the large model and coloured dials. Compare at least three offers: a buy-back by a professional, consignment and a direct sale. The first channel is the fastest but the least rewarding, for the reasons set out in why the trade-in price is below market value. Our comparison of sales channels details timescales and commissions.

In France, a Santos sold for more than €5,000 by a private individual is subject to the 6.5% flat tax on the sale price, unless you opt for the capital gains regime when you can prove the purchase price and date. If you live elsewhere, check your own country's rules. Details are in our article on the taxation of selling a watch and on the sell your watch page.

In short

The Santos holds its value well for a jeweller's watch, without exceeding its retail price: expect a depreciation of about 20% for the large steel model and about 30% for the medium model, according to our October 2026 surveys. Coloured dials, a warranty still running and a complete bracelet make the difference. Before buying or selling, check your Santos's market value: the reference, year, condition and accessories are enough to get a range based on our price surveys.