How to tell a fake Cartier steel watch
A fake Cartier steel watch is a counterfeit. It copies the shape of a Cartier case but not the parts inside. Three checks catch most fakes: the crown cabochon, the caseback engraving, and the movement.
Models that use steel
Cartier builds steel versions of the Santos, the Tank Must, the Ballon Bleu, the Pasha, and the Ronde. Case sizes run from 25.5 mm to 42 mm. Steel cases from Cartier are finished by hand on the bezel, the case flanks, and the bracelet links.
Counterfeit cases can use the same 316L steel grade as the real case. The grade is not the tell. The tell is the finish. Look at the angles on the bezel and the gap between the case and the bracelet.
The crown
Steel Cartier watches carry a crown with a blue cabochon. Cartier uses a synthetic spinel. Fakes use glass, plastic, or dyed stone. On a real cabochon the color holds in daylight and the dome is smooth. Ballon Bleu models set the crown under a sapphire guard at 3 o'clock.
Caseback and numbers
- Reference number, for example WSSA0009 on a Santos steel large.
- Serial number, stamped on the caseback and matched to the paperwork.
- "Swiss Made" under the 6 o'clock marker on the dial.
Engraving on a real caseback has depth. The letters have sharp walls. Laser etching on a fake is shallow and the font drifts.
Movement
Cartier fits the 1847 MC automatic caliber in the Santos and the 049 in older pieces. The Tank Must runs on quartz. Fakes carry a Miyota 9015, a Seagull clone, or a no-name quartz module. A watchmaker can open the caseback in minutes and name the movement.
Dial details
Cartier hides a second "Cartier" signature inside a numeral on several models. On the Tank the signature sits inside the VII. On the Santos it sits inside the VII or the X, based on the reference. Copies miss the placement or the letterforms.
Price and law
Steel Cartier models retail between $3,000 and $9,000 USD. Prices change; check Cartier for current figures. Counterfeit steel Cartier watches sell for $40 to $400. US law bars import and sale of counterfeit goods. US Customs seizes shipments and the FTC treats the sale as illegal.