Quick answer
A fake Cartier Santos gold is a copy watch with a gold-colored finish. The case is brass or steel. The gold layer is plating, 0.5 to 5 microns thick. Solid 18k gold Santos watches from Cartier retail above $25,000. Copies sell for $100 to $500.
What the real 18k gold Santos is
Cartier made the Santos in 1904 for the Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont. The current Santos de Cartier comes in steel, two-tone, and solid 18k yellow or rose gold. The solid gold large model carries a case, bezel, and bracelet in 18k gold. Cartier stamps 750 on the caseback and adds a serial number. Swiss law sets 750 as the mark for 18k gold, which is 75 percent gold by weight.
Weight shows the difference. An 18k gold Santos large is heavier than a steel one. Density at 18k runs about 15.5 g/cm3. Steel sits near 7.8 g/cm3. Brass sits near 8.5 g/cm3. A plated copy carries the weight of the base metal, not the weight of gold.
Plating terms and thickness
The FTC Jewelry Guides set thickness marks for gold terms sold in the US.
- Gold plated: at least 175 microinches, about 4.4 microns, of gold.
- Gold electroplate: at least 7 microinches, about 0.18 microns.
- Gold filled: gold layer at least 1/20 of the total metal weight.
Most copy Santos bracelets carry a gold tone layer under 2.5 microns, or a PVD coating of titanium nitride. PVD color sits close to 18k gold in photos. The color fades at contact points, such as the clasp and the bracelet edges, after months of daily wear.
Checks you can run
- Look for the 750 stamp and a serial number on the caseback. Many copies use 18k, GP, or no mark at all.
- Weigh the watch. A large solid gold Santos runs past 100 grams. A plated steel copy runs around 100 grams or less, with hollow links.
- Check the clasp and caseback edges for worn plating. Solid gold shows scratches in the same color. Plated metal shows a gray or yellow base metal.
- Compare the crown. The Cartier crown has a blue synthetic spinel cabochon. Copies use glass or plastic.
- Check the crystal. Cartier fits sapphire. Many copies use mineral glass, which scratches.
- Compare the movement. The time-and-date Santos runs the Cartier 1847 MC automatic calibre. Copies use generic or quartz movements.
- Compare the price. Cartier sells the solid gold Santos above $25,000. A gold tone copy at $150 cannot hold 18k gold.
Price ranges
Copies with gold tone plating sell for $100 to $500. Two-tone copies with a gold bezel and steel links sell for $120 to $300. Solid 18k gold Santos watches on the secondhand market sell for $20,000 and up, based on condition, box, and papers.
Plating wear
Plating rubs off at high contact points: clasp, crown guards, and the link edges near the case. A jeweler can strip and replate a case and bracelet. Plating does not change the base metal, so the watch stays steel or brass under the gold color.
Legal note
US law bans the import and sale of goods that carry a counterfeit trademark. 18 U.S.C. 2320 covers trafficking in counterfeit goods. CBP seizes counterfeit watches at ports and destroys them. A gold-plated watch sold as Cartier breaks trademark law even when the metal is not gold.