A fake Cartier Santos Blue is a counterfeit copy of the Santos de Cartier, the square steel watch Cartier has sold since 1904, with a blue dial. Cartier makes the real watch in Switzerland. The fake comes from an unlicensed factory and sells under labels such as replica, clone, or super clone. Counterfeit versions do not use the Cartier 1847 MC movement, and Cartier does not service them.
Genuine Santos de Cartier specs
- Case: square steel, about 39.8 mm wide and 47.5 mm from lug to lug.
- Thickness: about 9.1 mm on the large steel model.
- Dial: blue with a sunray finish, printed white Roman numerals, date at 3 o'clock, CARTIER at 12, SWISS MADE at 6.
- Movement: Cartier 1847 MC automatic, 23 jewels, about 42 hours of power reserve.
- Water resistance: 100 m.
- Bracelet: steel with SmartLink sizing and QuickSwitch strap release.
- Crown: blue synthetic spinel cabochon.
- Price: recent list prices for steel Santos models fall in the high four figures in USD. Cartier publishes current prices.
Tells on a fake
- Crown stone: glass or plastic in place of synthetic spinel. The color reads purple or flat.
- Dial print: CARTIER letters that are thick or uneven, and Roman numerals with wrong stroke weight.
- Date: window off center, wrong numeral font.
- Movement: a low-cost automatic or a quartz caliber. The current blue dial Santos de Cartier runs on the automatic 1847 MC.
- Case: thicker than 9.1 mm, sharp edges, bezel screws that sit above the surface.
- Bracelet: stiff links, no working QuickSwitch button, no SmartLink pins.
- Caseback: shallow engraving, reference and serial numbers that do not match Cartier records.
Fake market prices
Counterfeit Santos Blue watches sell from under $50 to about $900. Sellers use tier names such as AAA, 1:1, and super clone. Price tracks case finishing and movement choice, not accuracy. A $900 fake still uses different steel, different bracelet hardware, and a different movement than the genuine watch.
US legal status
Trafficking in counterfeit goods is a federal crime under 18 U.S.C. § 2320. A first offense carries up to 10 years in prison and a fine. Cartier can sue under the Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1117, which allows statutory damages up to $2,000,000 per counterfeit mark for willful use. US Customs and Border Protection seizes counterfeit imports at ports of entry. Buyers who import for personal use are seldom prosecuted, but the watch can be seized and destroyed, and the payment is not refunded.
How to check a Santos Blue
- Get the reference number and compare it with Cartier's published specs.
- Take the watch to a Cartier boutique or an authorized service center.
- Have a watchmaker open the caseback and identify the movement.
Cartier does not authenticate or repair counterfeit watches. A refusal of service is a common result.