1:1 Santos versus gen Santos Picorial Review

[Silverspeed 10]

There's been a lengthy discussion about the recently released 1:1 Santos. One dealer claims all parts, excluding the clasp, are gen....other dealers state this Santos is a perfect rep with a genuine Cartier movement.

 

As a big fan of the Santos, one of my first reps was a TT Santos with the old "waved" dial, I decided to order this "perfect 1:1" Santos from Precious Time aka PT. As always with PT, a flawless transaction with a slight delay due to the Chinese new year....Thanks again PT!

 

To compare this 1:1 Santos with the gen...I made these comparison shots.

 

The gen is always on the left, the 1:1 Santos on the right.

 

Gen on the left...........................................................1:1 Santos on the right

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gen movement pic with courtesy of RG member Hummerboy as posted here:http://www.repgeek.com/showthread.php?t=92582&page=9

 

 

Whether or not the 1:1 Santos is made with genuine parts or just very well replicated remains to be seen and probably we'll never know for sure but I can say for sure that this 1:1 Santos is extremely well finished and the feel of it is of such a high quality that if I had bought this particular Santos from an AD I wouldn't have doubt it for a second! The quality is on par with my gen PAM312!...the way it feels when you set time or wind the crown is absolutely perfect.

 

The leather strap is genuine croc and is light years better then the rep Santos strap....(which is not that difficult btw considering the rep Santos strap is most likely made of roadkill).

 

A few shots to compare the clasp of the 1:1 Santos with the regular rep clasp. As you can see the difference in finish and fit is quiet considerable.

 

1:1 Santos clasp on the left..................regular rep clasp on the right

 

 

 

1:1 Santos clasp top..........regular rep clasp bottom

 

 

In conclusion I truly believe that if this 1:1 Santos is simply a well made replica we have been taken for a ride by the factories with all the so called "Super-reps", I mean if the factories can make a rep this close...why haven't we seen them before...?

 

Look and the pics and judge for yourself.....

[Member X 91]

Is this the one that is about $1600??

[Silverspeed 10]

Is this the one that is about $1600??

 

Finally someone replies to my thread

...yes this is the $1600,- version

[sconehead 5]

Is this the one that is about $1600??

 

Finally someone replies to my thread

...yes this is the $1600,- version

...no Santos love here it seems...

 

 

...seriously though, that's a mighty nice watch Silver...

[Silverspeed 10]

...no Santos love here it seems...

 

Noobs....

[Member X 91]

You have too much money, SS ;)

 

It looks great though, if anything I'd say the caseback is a better fit than the gen!

[sconehead 5]

...no Santos love here it seems...

 

 

 

 

Noobs....

...we've been called that before over here...

 

[Silverspeed 10]

...no Santos love here it seems...

 

 

 

 

Noobs....

...we've been called that before over here...

 

Fuck...I'd better edit my post then....don't like the Dave association

...hence why I didn't quote that god awful pic

[greg_r 107]

I don't know how the hell I missed this thread. Fascinating comparison, Silver!

[Silverspeed 10]

+1

very nice silver. Do you still have it?

 

Absolutely...I'm not selling this

[Wiz 0]

Ok this is a super rep, but $1600 for a Santos Rep?? Really??

[greg_r 107]

Ok this is a super rep, but $1600 for a Santos Rep?? Really??

 

You wanna see the price of the gold version....

 

I could never see myself spending that kinda money for a rep - even one as indistinguishable from the gen as this is, but there's no doubt that it's pretty much as good as the gen.

[Silverspeed 10]

$1600 for a rep is indeed stupid, although I paid less ....unless you really like the Santos

I wanted to buy the gen but seeing how much the price drops for a used one this wouldn't be money

well spend either....and since I prefer my watches to be new I didn't want a used gen

 

This rep Santos was a bit of a gamble but I'm happy with it...the watch was looked at by a inhouse

watchsmith from a local Cartier AD and he was very impressed and is 100% sure the movement is original Cartier.

He heard rumours about an illegal off the line production run with rejected parts and was pretty sure this is one of them

[Member X 91]

How cool

[Wiz 0]

You can get a used gen for about $2000 around here. Even if you've paid $1000, that's still a 1/2 ratio. Not enough for me

[Silverspeed 10]

The best I found with box and papers was €2300,- and five years old and in need of service

[Wiz 0]

You're right, I can't find an offer under 2000 EUR right now. Have you called Passions?

[prestigewatchco 2]

You need to give close to $3k for a LNIB santos and they are not that easy to find in perfect condition they all seem to have battle scars.

[Silverspeed 10]

You need to give close to $3k for a LNIB santos and they are not that easy to find in perfect condition they all seem to have battle scars.

 

yes the polished bezel is very easy to scrath same as the polished part on the clasp. And if you have to resize the strap the clasp will leave marks on the strap. So even if you can find a decent used Santos for €2000,- you'll have to add a new strap plus a service...which makes no sense at all for a 5 year old watch

[yawn 122]

I m thinking get a RG one to pair with my santos ring (gen ring of course)!

[SSTEEL 0]

I know this is an old thread, but I wanted to thank you Silverspeed for your comparison post as the santos XL ultimate came up on yet another new thread today asking about super reps. Thanks again!

[sconehead 5]

...just revisited this thread, looking at the crown guards, are the gens slightly rounded at the tip whereas the reps are sharp...or is it me?

 

 

 

[toehh 0]

I believe that's just the pic.

 

If you look at this one its not rounded

[sconehead 5]

Hmmmm...still not conclusive to me...

[yawn 122]

my only concern of this watch is the shape of bezel screw, as i recalled, someone said before the gen screw is bit flatter than rep, which makes it a tell of this model.