Quick answer
A fake Cartier Santos 2018 is a copy of the Santos de Cartier that Cartier relaunched at SIHH in January 2018, not a copy of the older Santos 100 or Santos Galbee. The men's large version measures 39.8 mm across the case and 47.5 mm lug to lug, runs the in-house calibre 1847 MC, and carries two features that copies rarely reproduce properly: QuickSwitch, a push-button strap release built into the lugs, and SmartLink, a bracelet that resizes by hand with no tool. If a watch sold as a 2018 Santos has neither, it is either a different reference or not a Santos at all. Beyond those two systems, judge the watch on case geometry, bezel screw fit, dial printing, crown cabochon, and the depth and font of the caseback engraving.
fake cartier santos 2018 mens watch
What the 2018 reissue actually is
- Case: steel or gold, square with rounded corners, eight visible bezel screws, brushed and polished surfaces.
- Size, large model: 39.8 mm wide, 47.5 mm lug to lug, roughly 9.4 mm thick.
- Movement: calibre 1847 MC, automatic, about 42 hours of power reserve, roughly 4 Hz.
- Bracelet: SmartLink pins on the outer links plus QuickSwitch at the lugs.
- Dial: roman numerals, railway minute track, date at 6 o'clock on the large model.
- Water resistance: 100 m, a step up from earlier Santos models.
Copies tend to be built on generic square cases that are a millimetre or two off in width or thickness, and that difference shows at the lugs and in how the bracelet sits against the case.
Prerequisites before you inspect
- A 10x loupe, ideally 20x for dial print and engraving.
- Digital caliper or a ruler with half-millimetre marks.
- A postal scale that reads to 0.1 g.
- Reference photos of the exact reference number from Cartier's own product page.
- Good side lighting, since dial finish and polish quality only show on an angle.
Step-by-step check
- Measure the case. Confirm 39.8 mm wide and 47.5 mm lug to lug on the large model. Reject anything closer to 38 mm or 41 mm, both of which appear on copies built from generic square cases.
- Check the thickness. The genuine case sits near 9.4 mm. A copy is usually 10.5 mm or more because a stock movement and spacer fill the case.
- Press the QuickSwitch buttons at the top of each lug. They should travel smoothly, spring back with a clean click, and release the strap without force. Fakes often have fixed spring bars or stiff buttons that do nothing.
- Remove a bracelet link by hand. Genuine SmartLink pins push out with a fingertip and drop back in with a positive click. If the bracelet needs a screwdriver or a pin tool, the bracelet is wrong.
- Inspect the bezel screws. All eight should sit at the same depth and align consistently, with clean slots and no burrs. Look for screws that are polished as one piece with the bezel, a common shortcut on copies.
- Examine the crown. The blue spinel or sapphire cabochon should be domed, evenly set, and free of cloudiness or a visible glue line.
- Read the dial under the loupe. Printing on the genuine dial has crisp edges, consistent stroke weight, and no ink bleed at the roman numerals. Check the hidden Cartier signature worked into the VII numeral at 7 o'clock.
- Check hand finish. Genuine hands are blued or rhodium-finished with beveled edges and no tool marks on the top surface. Look for flat, stamped hands with rounded edges.
- Verify the date. On the large 2018 model the window sits at 6 o'clock and the numerals are centered in the aperture. A date at 3 o'clock means the watch is a different reference or a copy of an earlier Santos.
- Turn the watch over. Caseback engraving should be deep, sharp, and consistent in font, with the reference and serial numbers in the correct format. Laser-etched shallow text is a warning sign.
- Weigh the watch. A steel large Santos on bracelet lands in the region of 130 to 140 g depending on link count. Significant deviation points to a hollow or undersized case.
- Listen and feel. Wind the crown and set the time. The crown should engage cleanly with no lateral play, and the rotor should turn without rattle.
Common tells on 2018 copies
- No functional QuickSwitch or SmartLink hardware.
- Bezel screws that are decorative and cannot be turned.
- Dial print that is heavy, fuzzy, or missing the VII signature.
- Bracelet end links that do not match the case contour, leaving a visible gap.
- Caseback text with the wrong reference format or inconsistent spacing.
- Movement visible through a caseback that should be solid, or the reverse.
Legal note
Cartier is a registered trademark. Selling or importing counterfeit goods carrying that mark is trademark infringement and is subject to seizure at the border and to civil action in the United States. Buy a counterfeit and you hold an item you cannot resell, service at an authorized center, or insure. If your goal is the Santos look at a lower price, the practical route is a genuine pre-owned reference or a different brand's square-cased watch, not a copy.