Titanium Cartier Watches: Every Kind So Far

As one of their late 2025 releases, Cartier unveiled their first ever watch with a full titanium bracelet: the impressive Santos de Cartier Titanium LM. They rarely work with titanium, so we thought we’d take this opportunity to look back at all the titanium Cartier watches made over the years.

Out of the 13 types of titanium Cartier watches (more if you count color/material variations), 5 are Rotonde models and 5 belong to the Santos family. There’s also one complicated titanium Calibre de Cartier, plus a family of small titanium ladies’ bracelet watches from the early 2000s called the Déclaration, and a not-for-sale unique piece in a Ballon Bleu case. No Cartier Tank, Pasha, Panthère, Roadster, Baignoire, Tortue, Tonneau, or Crash models have been produced in titanium. Titanium is very lightweight (~45% lighter than stainless steel), and its extreme hardness makes it quite durable, but it also makes it notoriously difficult to machine, which is why you don’t see more titanium watches than you already do.

Impressively, Cartier uses Grade 23 titanium for its latest Santos Titanium LM, which is also know as Grade 5 ELI (“Extra Low Interstitial”), meaning it’s like Grade 5 titanium but with lower levels of oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and iron impurities. I believe Cartier exclusively used either Grade 5 titanium or niobium-titanium (more on that later) alloys in the past, and not the cheaper and less scratch-resistant Grade 2 (which is pure titanium, not an alloy). I haven’t received confirmation from Cartier about that, though. Now let’s start at the beginning of the titanium Cartier watch saga.

Cartier Déclaration

Debut: 2004     Case Number: 2611     Materials: Titanium case, rings in gold/ceramic/titanium, leather strap      Width: 16mm     References: WT000150, WT000250, WT000350, WT000450, WT000550, WT000650, WT000730, WT000830

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The Cartier Déclaration perfume line debuted in 1998, and a watch lineup followed six years later. The Cartier Déclaration, a small and unique ladies’ watch with a titanium case surrounded by ten rings, was the first titanium Cartier watch ever made. Its case shape is difficult to describe; it essentially follows the contour of a bracelet. It’s like an upright elliptical prism with the sides shaved a bit to give it a gold bar/trapezoid look.

The fun thing about the Déclaration is sliding the decorative rings (which can be titanium, ceramic, or gold with or without diamonds) up and down, so you can reveal different parts of the watch face–or cover it entirely. Inside the tiny case (16mm wide) is an unremarkable two-hand quartz movement, but this is a piece of statement jewelry first, and a timepiece second. You can easily find secondhand examples under $5,000, making the Déclaration the most affordable titanium Cartier watch option. Interestingly, they have deployant clasps, which was still fairly novel on leather straps in the early 2000s.

First Neobium-Titanium Cartier Watch: ID One Concept

Debut: 2009     Case: Ballon Bleu (concept only)     Materials: Niobium-titanium case, fabric strap, white gold folding clasp     Width: 46mm     Reference: (none)

In the spring of 2009, long before Cartier took the #2 luxury watch spot from Omega, Cartier was proving to the world that they were getting serious about high-end watchmaking. And their “ID One Concept” watch threw down the gauntlet in a major way. The ID One Concept is the only titanium Cartier watch with a Ballon Bleu case. And it’s not just titanium; it was the first Cartier watch made of niobium-titanium, which is an alloy no other watch brand uses–although you do find it in medical equipment. Cartier says that the inherent elastic properties of niobium-titanium provide superior shock resistance compared to grade 5 titanium, and the magnetic resistance is better too–although it’s no better when it comes to scratch resistance or lightness.

But that’s just the beginning of the exotic materials involved in this watch. Besides its niobium-titanium case, the Cartier ID One features a balance wheel, escape wheel, and pallet fork made entirely of carbon crystal (synthetic diamond) for extreme hardness and completely lubrication-free operation, which is a big deal. A shock-absorbing escapement cage, attached to the case by polymer rings, is also made of carbon crystal. The hairspring is made from a proprietary and completely amagnetic thermally stable glass-ceramic material known as Zerodur. The brass main plate is coated with ADLC to minimize friction, and a tungsten carbide oscillating weight also features ADLC.

The ID Once Concept has never been sold, and presumably resides in Cartier’s own vault.

Santos 100 Carbon with Titanium Bezel

Debut: 2009     Case Number: 2656     Materials: ADLC-coated steel case with titanium bezel, nylon/leather strap     Width: 38mm     Reference: W2020010

The chunky Cartier Santos 100 debuted in 2004, with a sizable 38mm width, a prominent bezel with the Santos’s signature eight screws, and a fat 24mm strap (no bracelets). The first time titanium ever appeared on a production men’s Santos was in 2009, when W2020010 debuted with a black ADLC-coated stainless steel case and a titanium bezel. That was part of the Santos 100 Carbon lineup, which were the first production watches to get Cartier’s ADLC (amorphous diamond-like coating). As the years have passed, ADLC has legitimately demonstrated to hold up better to scratches better than PVD or even typical DLC.

The Carbon Santos Carbon models are a relatively rare instance of well-lumed dials on a Santos. I think that secondhand, they’re some of the best luxury watches available under $5,000 nowadays. Cartier would release a chronograph equivalent of the W2020010 the next year.

Santos 100 Carbon XL Chronograph

Debut: 2010     Case Number: 3104     Materials: ADLC titanium case with rose gold bezel or ADLC steel case with titanium bezel, nylon/leather strap     Width: 43.3mm     References: W2020004, W2020005

Ref. W2020005 is a Santos 100 XL Chronograph model, and it is what it sounds like: a larger chronograph version of the Santos 100. It was also offered with an ADLC steel case and a titanium bezel in the form of ref. W2020005. The “XL” is indeed quite large, and although 43.3mm might not sound huge, the rectangular case makes it wear much larger than a round watch with a comparable diameter. Plus the lug-to-lug length of 51.3mm is quite big.

Ref. W2020004, which debuted in 2011, was the first men’s Cartier watch with an ADLC-coated titanium case. It has a rose gold bezel instead of a titanium one.

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Both the Cartier Santos 100 XL Chronograph W2020004 and W2020005 are powered by the automatic self-winding movement caliber 8630, based on the ETA 7753. This caliber is Cartier’s workhorse for these XL chronograph variants, with a 4:30 date and a power reserve of approximately 42 hours.

First Uncoated Titanium Men’s Cartier: Calibre de Cartier Astrotourbillon

Debut: 2011     Case Number: 3308     Materials: Titanium case, alligator strap     Width: 47mm     Reference: W7100028

The Calibre de Cartier Astrotourbillon is one of Cartier’s ambitious high-complication watches that first appeared in 2010, with a titanium version (ref. W7100028) following in 2011. Rather than implementing a conventional tourbillon to counteract the effects of gravity, the balance and escapement are mounted on a central carriage that orbits the entire dial once per minute–thus acting as the seconds hand.

The impressive in-house 9451 MC manual-wind movement is housed in a 47mm titanium case, with a black alligator leather strap to complete the look. You can find titanium Cartier Astrotourbillons today for about $60,000. Only 100 were made, and fortunately they all have exhibition casebacks. The Calibre de Cartier line, with its chunky lugs and crown guard, was discontinued entirely in 2018.

Rotonde de Cartier Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon

Debut: 2011     Case Number: 3069     Materials: Titanium case, alligator strap     Width:45mm     Reference: W1556209

The Rotonde de Cartier Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon collection debuted at SIHH 2011, marking Cartier’s first fully in-house minute repeater after more than five years of development. The titanium variant (ref. W1556209) was part of this initial launch in 2011, introduced as a 50-piece limited edition alongside a pink gold version.

The case of the Rotonde de Cartier Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon is a substantial 45mm in diameter, with a 14.7mm height. It houses the Calibre 9402 MC, a hand-wound movement developed and finished to Geneva Seal standards, offering a 50-hour power reserve. The watch combines two demanding complications—a minute repeater and a flying tourbillon—visible through the open architecture at six and twelve o’clock, respectively.

The silver guilloché dial of ref. W1556209 contrasts nicely with the blued sword hands and applied Roman numerals, while the sapphire back exposes the hand-finished movement plates. Water resistance is 30 meters, and a black alligator strap completes the look. If you’re able to find one for sale, expect to pay more than $220,000.

Santos-Dumont Skeleton XL

Debut: 2011     Case Number: 4200     Materials: ADLC Titanium case, alligator strap     Width: 38.7mm     Reference: W2020052

The first skeletonized titanium Cartier to appear was the Santos-Dumont XL ref. W2020052 in 2011. On Cartier’s skeleton watches, there are sapphire crystals on the front and back, and the movement is organized so as to leave lots of room to see straight through the entire watch. It’s a pretty striking aesthetic, so it’s not surprising that Cartier skeletons sell extremely well.

Ref. W2020052 features a rectangular ADLC-coated titanium case with dimensions of 47.4mm by 38.7mm, and a thickness of only 9.4mm. Its movement is the hand-wound Cartier caliber 9612 MC, equipped with skeletonized bridges that form Roman numeral hour markers, providing a 72-hour power reserve and operating at 28,800 vibrations per hour with 20 jewels. The watch offers water resistance to 30 meters and does not include any luminescent material on the hands or dial. Expect to pay about $27,500 for a nice pre-owned example today.

The First Production Niobium-Titanium Cartier Watch: Rotonde Astroregulateur

Debut: 2011     Case Number: 3388     Materials: Niobium-Titanium case, alligator strap     Reference: W1556211

The Cartier Astroregulateur is a clever and novel complication that first appeared in 2011 in the form of ref. W1556211. Its rotating movement is designed to counteract the effects of gravity, similar to a tourbillon. But unlike a tourbillon, which encloses the escapement in a cage that continually rotates predictably, the Astroregulateur places the escapement and balance wheel on its microrotor, which, thanks to a giant round cutout on the bottom half of the dial, is visible from the front.

The “pendular” seconds hand is linked to the microrotor, so it spins around freely–but it still functions as a seconds hand because the seconds scale is also on the microrotor. And because the non-rotor half of the cutout offers nothing to mark 30 through 60 on, 0-30 and 30-60 are written on concentric semicircles on the rotor. Thus, one end of the seconds hand (which is longer on one side) is always pointing to either the 0-30 or 30-60 scale.

The Rotonde Astroregulateur was the first (of only two) production niobium-titanium Cartier watches. Although its original list price was about $300,000, its fair market value today is in the $125,000 ballpark.

Rotonde Astrotourbillon Carbon Crystal

Debut: 2012     Case Number: 3540     Materials: Niobium-Titanium case, alligator strap     Reference: W1556221

Debuting in 2012, the Rotonde Astrotourbillon Carbon Crystal (ref. W1556221) was the third and final type of neobium-titanium Cartier watch ever made. It features the same central Astrotourbillon complication as the ref. W7100028 mentioned earlier. But the real story of this watch is the usage of synthetic diamond components.

Similarly to the movement in ID Concept One, the Calibre 9460 MC achieves an adjustment-free, lubrication-free escapement by utilizing critical components made of carbon crystal (synthetic diamond), including the tourbillon bridges, anchor (pallet fork), and escape wheel. These carbon crystal parts are manufactured using a Deep Reactive Ion Etching (DRIE) process, ensuring tolerances down to one micron–which means extreme smoothness.

The hardness and smoothness of carbon crystal, along with the precise geometries involved, are what eliminate the need for lubrication. Owning one of these 50 pieces of mechanical wizardry will set you back about $140,000 in the current market.

Rotonde de Cartier Minute Repeater Mysterious Double Tourbillon

Debut: 2013     Case Number: 3540     Materials: Titanium case, alligator strap     References: WHRO0023, WHRO0064

The Rotonde de Cartier Minute Repeater Mysterious Double Tourbillon is constructed so its tourbillon “floats,” anchored not to a traditional metal bridge or mainplate, but to a sapphire disc with hidden gearing on its edge. In addition to the tourbillon’s own once-per-minute rotation, the sapphire disc itself rotates every five minutes. Ref. WHRO0023, also known as WHRO0064 for some reason, is certainly the most exotic production titanium Cartier watch ever made–which you would expect with a half-million dollar list price. In fact, it’s one of the most complex and technically impressive watches Cartier has ever produced, limited to just 50 pieces and featuring the 9407 MC hand-wound caliber.

Hardcore collectors will appreciate the 448-piece openworked movement crammed into a slim 11.15 mm case, as well as Geneva Seal-worthy finishing and visible minute repeater hammers at 6 o’clock. The hammers strike specially-hardened steel gongs which are directly secured to the partially hollow case, which all ultimately helps improve loudness and resonance. Chimes are actuated by the button located near 5 o’clock. The watch has an 84-hour power reserve, blued sword hands, sapphire cabochon crown, sapphire caseback, and a water resistance rating of 30 meters. Rotonde de Cartier Minute Repeater Mysterious Double Tourbillon watches rarely come up for sale.

A One-of-One Titanium Cartier Watch: The Alamshar Santos 100

Debut: 2014     Case Number: 3360     Materials: ADLC-coated titanium case with rubberized bezel, rubber strap     Width: 38mm     Reference: (Unique Piece)

The final titanium Cartier Santos 100 model ever made was a unique piece with “Alamshar” branding on the dial. It has a 3360 case with a quartz chronograph movement, a black coated titanium case, and a black rubber strap that complements its rubberized bezel. Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, owner of the Alamshar super-yacht and this corresponding one-of-one Cartier, died in early 2025, with the watch appearing shortly thereafter on eBay with an asking price of about $6,700.

The Last Grade 5 Titanium Cartier Watch: Rotonde de Cartier Skeleton

Debut: 2022     Case Number: 4173     Materials: Titanium case, alligator strap     Width: 42mm     Reference: WHRO0047

The Cartier Rotonde de Cartier Skeleton with a titanium case and red enamel accents (reference WHRO0047) debuted in the year 2022 as a limited edition of only 15 pieces. It was the last titanium skeleton Cartier watch ever made. As on the Santos-Dumont Skeleton XL, the roman numerals also act as movement bridges. The deep red accents on the dial are well matched by the burgundy alligator strap and a synthetic red spinel on the crown.

Ref. WHRO0047 is powered by the manual-wind 9621 MC movement with 48 hours of power reserve. Expect to pay $40,000-$50,000 if you can find one.

The Newest Titanium Cartier Watch: Santos de Cartier LM

Debut: 2025     Case Number: 4072     Material: Grade 23 titanium case and bracelet     Width: 39.8mm     Reference: CRWSSA0089

Among the 2025 Cartier releases was a watch with their first-ever titanium bracelet. Some enthusiasts aren’t thrilled by the $11.5k price tag of the Santos de Cartier LM in titanium (ref. WSSA0089) but given that Cartier opted for unusually expensive grade 23 titanium–that’s probably about the right price. Its 39.8mm width makes it a “Large” model.

Collectors immediately started praising the bead-blasted finish of the titanium Santos LM for giving a more “sporty” vibe to the usually dressy Santos line. Hand-polished bevels along the edges and Cartier’s signature polished screws both add some subtle visual contrast. The new titanium Santos de Cartier LM does feature the QuickSwitch system for rapid strap and bracelet changes, allowing easy swaps without tools. However, it does not include the SmartLink micro-adjustment system for tool-free bracelet sizing, whereas the steel bracelet versions do. I don’t think that will stop this watch from selling extremely well, though.

And that should cover all of the titanium watches Cartier has made thus far. While many of them are among the most expensive Cartier watches ever made, perhaps the latest bead-blasted Santos is a sign of things to come in Cartier’s regular catalog.