The Santos de Cartier. The watch that put Cartier in the zeitgeist over the past couple of years, especially on social media. Never a day went by that I didn't see someone wearing this on their wrist, and as much as I hate to admit it, I got caught up in the hype. Before I even tried it on, I already had preconceived notions about square watches: it would look too bulky, the bracelet wouldn't articulate properly, it would look disproportionate on my small wrist. All of these notions vanished the moment I put this watch on my wrist. The case was so slim and flat that it practically disappeared on wrist. The bracelet wrapped around my wrist, with no gap, something I regularly struggled with my curved wrist. I was floored.
Once the high of the purchase had disappeared, which admittedly took several weeks, the penny dropped: I had just bought a watch due to its hype. This was significant for me because I had sworn, at that time, that I wouldn't buy watches for that reason. That anything that entered my collection was because I, and I alone, liked it. The next couple of days were spent justifying this to myself - it was my birthday, it was a white dial watch that I didn't currently have in my core collection, and a design language I didn't own at that point. Looking at it in my watch box reaffirmed that it was the right decision, but the lingering doubt remained. Could I see myself enjoying this watch for years? Would I end up flipping it? And most importantly, would I be okay seeing others wearing this watch and being part of the crowd?
It took several weeks for these doubts to clear, and that was when I realized that this watch's strength was its versatility. I could wear it on a regular Tuesday at work, and take it to impromptu happy hour with a client or even a dinner at a nice restaurant. Swap the bracelet for a leather strap and it could become a watch for a formal occasion (happy to debate this one in the comments!). If a day was ambiguous in nature, the Santos was the watch I turned to.
All this is to say, while I wouldn't recommend buying a watch because of hype, some watches do surprise you. And that just so happened to be the Santos de Cartier Medium for me.