The Cartier Santos-Dumont W2SA0017 is the extra-large Dumont with the 18K rose gold bezel — the most attainable way into a gold Cartier, because the gold sits exactly where you see it and the case stays steel. Hand-wound, 7.5 mm thin, silvered sunray dial, black alligator strap: this is the dress Santos in its purest current form.
And here's what most owners of this reference discover slowly, but you can know today: the strap doesn't just dress this watch — it decides how much of that gold bezel you actually see. Correct size first, then the choices.
Cartier Santos-Dumont W2SA0017 Strap Size and Fit
The essentials:
- Reference: W2SA0017, Santos-Dumont, Extra-Large model
- Case dimensions: 46.6 × 33.9 mm, just 7.5 mm thin
- Correct strap size: 19 mm
On the product page, select the 19 mm option. The Santos-Dumont uses standard spring bars — no QuickSwitch here — and our Dumont straps come with spring bar inserts and a slim, tapered cut made for this case, so the strap follows the line of the lugs without gaps.
Size by case, not by photos: the Dumont range looks identical across sizes on a screen. The XL (46.6 × 33.9 mm — this reference, and the other hand-wound XLs) takes 19 mm; the Small (38 × 27.5 mm) takes 15.5 mm; the mid-size Large model is covered in our separate Santos-Dumont Large strap guide. If your case measures 33.9 mm across, you're a 19.
The Dress Santos, With a Ring of Gold
The Santos-Dumont is the quiet branch of the Santos family — the one that kept the 1904 proportions, the exposed screws and the slim profile, and skipped the sports-watch hardware. The W2SA0017 runs Cartier's hand-wound manufacture calibre 430 MC, which is why the case can stay at 7.5 mm: winding it each morning is part of the point. The dial is silvered with a satin sunray finish, the Roman numerals classic, the sword hands blued steel, and the beaded crown carries a blue synthetic spinel cabochon. Water resistance is 30 meters — a dress watch, honestly rated.
The signature move is the bezel: 18K rose gold on a steel case. It's precious metal exactly where the eye lands, at a fraction of a full-gold price. Which brings us to the strap.
The Strap Is the Volume Knob for the Gold
A rose gold bezel on a steel case is a subtle thing. On the factory black alligator, the gold whispers — in low light the W2SA0017 can read as an all-steel watch. Put it on a warm strap and the bezel blooms; the two-tone finally reads as two-tone. Put it on a cool strap and the gold recedes into discretion again.
In other words: you bought the gold — the strap decides how loudly it shows. These are the most popular strap choices among Santos-Dumont XL owners:
1. Brown Leather – Turn the Gold Up
Warm answers warm. A brown leather strap for the Santos-Dumont picks up the rose tone of the bezel and carries it down the wrist, and the whole watch shifts from "steel with a detail" to a genuinely warm, vintage-leaning two-tone. Brown and rose gold is one of the oldest pairings in dress watches for a reason — and it's the one direction the factory black strap never goes. If you add a single strap to this reference, this is the one that changes it most.
2. Black Leather – The Factory Look, Renewed
The factory alligator will crease and gray with daily wear — every leather does. A black leather strap restores the exact register Cartier shipped: formal, boardroom-ready, the gold at its most discreet. This is also the honest end of the volume knob — choose black on the days the watch should whisper, and rotate it with the factory strap so both last for years.
3. Blue Leather – The Color Cartier Hid in the Crown
Look closely: the crown cabochon is blue, and the sword hands are blued steel. A blue leather strap draws that hidden thread out — and navy against a rose gold bezel is a confident, modern combination that keeps the watch dressed while making it unmistakably yours. The pick for owners who find brown too classical and black too safe.
4. Black CTS Rubber – The XL Off Duty
A hand-wound dress watch still has weekends. A black CTS rubber strap made for the Santos-Dumont gives the W2SA0017 a clean, modern casual mode — and rubber is the one material here that shrugs off summer, with a lifetime warranty behind it. You'll find it alongside every option above in the full Cartier Santos-Dumont strap collection, all in 19 mm.
Keep It Slim
At 7.5 mm, the Dumont XL nearly disappears under a cuff — as designed. Keep it that way with slim, flat straps; anything padded lifts the case and breaks the line that makes this watch special. Every strap above is cut specifically for the Dumont's thin profile.
Final Thoughts
The W2SA0017 gives you Cartier's most elegant case, a daily winding ritual, and a ring of rose gold that responds to everything you put beneath it. Helvetus is one of the leading names in the aftermarket strap world, and our Santos-Dumont straps are cut precisely for this case — an exact 19 mm fit with spring bar inserts included. Rubber straps carry a lifetime warranty, shipping is free worldwide with no import costs, and more than 50,000 watch owners already trust us with their straps.
The gold is on the watch. How much of it people see — that's the strap's job.
