The short answer
A fake Cartier Santos 2018 is a copy of the Santos de Cartier that Cartier relaunched at SIHH in January 2018. The genuine watch comes in steel or gold, at 39.8 mm (large) or 35.1 mm (medium), and runs the in-house 1847 MC automatic. Replica versions sell for $150 to $700 and copy the look, not the movement. Check case thickness, dial print, crown cabochon and bracelet hardware before you judge one.
What Cartier changed in 2018
The relaunch replaced the Santos 100. Cartier made the case thinner, tapered the bracelet and added two tool-free systems. QuickSwitch releases the strap at the lugs with a press. SmartLink sizes the bracelet by hand, with no screwdriver. The dial keeps Roman numerals and the exposed screws on the bezel, a design traced to Alberto Santos-Dumont's 1904 commission.
Fake Cartier Santos 2018 Men's Watch: Authentication Guide
Numbers to compare
- Large: 39.8 mm wide, 47.5 mm lug to lug, 9.08 mm thick.
- Medium: 35.1 mm wide, 41.9 mm lug to lug, 8.83 mm thick.
- Movement: Caliber 1847 MC, automatic, 23 jewels, 28,800 vph, 42-hour power reserve.
- Water resistance: 100 m.
- US launch price, large steel on bracelet: about $6,900.
Replica cases often measure 10.5 mm or more. That 1.5 mm shows under a cuff and in profile photos.
Details that fail on copies
- Case back. Most 2018 steel references use a sapphire back. Copies use mineral glass or a solid steel plate.
- Crown. Steel models carry a blue synthetic spinel. Copies use glass or plastic that reads darker.
- Bracelet. SmartLink pins should push out and click back by hand. Copies need tools or fail to lock.
- Dial print. The Cartier script sits under the XII. Fakes thicken it or shift it.
- Date. The window is small and square at 3 o'clock. Copies cut it wide and use a font with heavier strokes.
- Weight. Hollow links drop the bracelet weight below a solid steel build.
Santos vs Santos-Dumont
Cartier sells two lines under the same name. The Santos-Dumont is thin, hand-wound or quartz, and does not share the bracelet of the 2018 Santos. Many fakes mix parts from both. Confirm the model number before you compare anything.
Fake Cartier Santos 2018 Watch: How to Spot One
Price and law
Replica listings run from $150 for quartz copies to $700 for automatic copies with a decorated movement. In the US, trafficking counterfeit goods is a federal crime under 18 U.S.C. 2320. CBP can seize counterfeit imports under 19 U.S.C. 1526. Resale of a fake as real is fraud under state law.
What stays uncertain
Reference numbers change with strap option and market. Cartier does not publish comparisons against copies. Case back type differs between small and large models. Check a specific reference against Cartier's own listing before you trust any spec sheet.