As Singapore celebrated its National Day on August 9, I had the Cartier Santos Chronograph as a fitting companion for the Sunday. The timepiece beautifully blends historic pilot watch DNA with modern luxury. This 24-hour, real-world urban warrior lifestyle explores how the sporty, elegant icon holds up.
A day in the life with the amazing Cartier Santos Chronograph
This 24 hour journal serves to document the real-world life as an urban warrior on a Sunday which happens also to be National Day for Singapore. Look out for little Easter Eggs on the photographs, which for the benefit of those who are not familiar, I have noted in the captions of each.
The Santos De Cartier Chronograph in two tone
The Santos de Cartier Chronograph Large in two tone retails at SGD 24,200 inclusive of GST.
First a quick review of the Cartier Santos Chronograph. The loaner we requested for and received is the large model with an in-house chronograph mechanical movement with automatic winding.
The movement is the caliber 1904-CH MC, but is not visible as the case back is closed.
The case is steel with a yellow gold bezel, with a steel bracelet. The visible screws holding the bracelet links are also in yellow gold. The case measures 47mm x 39.8mm with a thickness of 11.6mm. Water resistance is rated to 100m. A second black rubber strap is provided with the watch at purchase. We did not receive this strap with the loaner. Both straps carry the Cartier QuickSwitch interchangeable system to allow fast swaps.
The case features a 7 sided crown with a synthetic faceted spinel.
The dial features alternating satin and sunray finish on the dial with large black Roman numerals placed in a square just inside the peripheral chapter ring for the minutes.
The numerals are not lumed, but the sword shaped hands carry SuperLumiNova infilling.
On the wrist, it is very comfortable, with the bracelet hugging my 180mm flat wrists very well. The watch has a sophisticated look, despite or perhaps because of the gold and steel two tone look. The gold bezel and screws on the bracelet add just sufficient character to make this a very attractive looking watch.
Day in the life
These photographs documenting my day was taken with an iPhone 15 in available light.
8:40am drive for breakfast
It was a Sunday, and I drove out for my usual Church Service. At the car park, I took the opportunity to photograph the watch. The interior of a car is a rather nice soft box provided me with the delicate light needed to capture this image.
11am: food court for lunch
After service, off to a mall for a bit of lunch. This is a typical food court in a large mall. There were perhaps 30 stalls selling different kinds of food. The tables are all shared. One can sit anywhere and order from any of the stalls. Often, during peak hours, we share tables.
Lunch was an Indian Biryani Mutton at the food court. Some of my Indian friends say that I qualify for a PIO (Person of Indian Origin) certificate due to my love for the food. But the Indian Government ceased to issue that document.
11:45am coffee
After lunch, a quick coffee. I usually order this set comprising of two soft boiled eggs, and butter kaya toast with a beverage. A second beverage is ordered as we were a party of two. The set is a standard breakfast order, but as I do not normally eat breakfast, I usually have this in lieu of a dessert after lunch.
The coffee is known locally as kopi. And is mostly a robusta bean which is double roasted, usually with sugar and margarine. After the second roast cools, the beans form into a hard biscuit like wafer. This is broken down into smaller pieces and coarsely ground. Coffee is made using a muslin cloth, known colloquially as a sock, by immersion and filter. And the resultant brew is thick with a heavy body, aromatic and bitter.
12:05pm pickup a celebratory drink for the evening
Then off to the supermarket to pick up our libations for the evening.
12:50pm Work on Deployant.com
Then back home after lunch. Started to work on this article.
3:05pm Time for a bit of entertainment
At about 3pm, I completed the first draft, and continued on my binge watching of the TV series Landman. I have just completed Season 1 at this point.
5:50pm Dinner time!
Then out for dinner. We normally do not cook at home, but go out for dinner. I usually complete my last meal of the day by 6:30pm. And keep an intermittent fast till lunch the following day, usually about 11am. So just a little beyond the 18/6 intermittent fasting. I do this even for days when I go out for my morning bicycle ride, though for longer rides, I break the fast before leaving with a small date and a small glass of milk.
8:15pm watch National Day Parade on TV
Back home, as it was National Day, the typical Singaporean family gather around the TV and watch the National Day Parade which is telecasted live. Those lucky enough to get tickets make their way this year to the National Stadium to witness it live.
11:10pm time for bed
Typical bed time for me. Usually after a bit of reading and social media.
Concluding thoughts after a full day with the Santos Chronograph
The Cartier Santos Chronograph is an excellent companion for National Day. Or indeed any day, for the urban warrior. Suitable for Sundays, Holidays and also work days. It is pretty enough to put a smile on my face during the tougher times at work. And comfortable enough to wear throughout the day. The watch is also rugged to withstand the rigours of daily wear. Though to call this a daily beater would be an passive aggressive boast. And of course, as a chronograph, the stop watch function can come in handy throughout the day.
