Actor Ed Westwick spotted wearing a Cartier

Ed Westwick was recently photographed sporting a Cartier Santos de Cartier automatic in stainless steel, reference WSSA0018, fitted with a bold red leather strap — a small but deliberate style choice that underscores the model's underrated versatility. The QuickSwitch interchangeable strap system, one of the Santos's defining modern features, allows the wearer to toggle between the integrated steel bracelet and any leather option in seconds without tools, making it one of the most practically elegant dress-sport watches on the market.

The Santos de Cartier WSSA0018 houses Cartier's Manufacture calibre 1847 MC, a self-winding movement beating at 28,800 vph with a 42-hour power reserve. The medium-size case measures 39.8mm × 47.5mm, crafted in polished and brushed stainless steel, with sapphire crystal front and back. The iconic octagonal bezel — secured by eight visible Roman-headed screws — and the blue sword-shaped hands remain faithful to Louis Cartier's original 1904 design language, updated here with a sunray-brushed silvered dial and blued-steel Roman numeral chapter ring.

The Santos is not merely a design icon — it is the founding document of wristwatch history. When Louis Cartier handed the first iteration to Alberto Santos-Dumont, the Brazilian aviator wore it to pilot his 14-bis biplane over Paris in 1906. That narrative gives the Santos de Cartier a historical credibility that most luxury sports watches can only aspire to. Among collectors, the 2018 reissue — which introduced the dual-bracelet QuickSwitch and Smedge bezel system — rehabilitated the Santos as a genuine contemporary contender alongside the Royal Oak and Nautilus, while remaining appreciably more accessible.

Ed Westwick, the British actor who rose to global fame as the scheming Chuck Bass in Gossip Girl, has long demonstrated a preference for classic, well-proportioned timepieces. The Santos suits him precisely: it reads as old-money European without the aggressive sportiness of a steel Patek or AP, and the red strap injects just enough personality to signal intent rather than accident.

Retailing at approximately $7,450 USD, the Cartier Santos de Cartier WSSA0018 trades on the grey market at or near list price — occasionally slight premium — reflecting steady, demand-driven stability rather than speculative inflation. It remains one of the most rationally priced entries into genuine haute horlogerie history.