Santos de Cartier

In the current age that has been thoroughly sapped of nuance, where the Art of Manliness gave way to the repugnant Manosphere and now the appalling "lookmaxxing" trend, discussions of masculinity are either overzealous and bastardized on one end and reviled and rejected on the other (only one flavor: toxic). In the spectrum of expression, a celebration of it may deemed as "coded" as one way or the other, as the youth would say. Yet, I refuse to see it through exclusively a negative lens. I am a man after all, and it seems rather odd to feel pressured to reconcile with, so to speak, that part of me. I firmly believe that masculine traits are just as much a glue that holds together societies as feminine traits, each with their virtues and principles. Which is why I have long had a fondness for how masculinity has been conveyed in fragrances marketed to the male of the species, and they have been done so in certainly more than one way. Santos, almost in response to bolder members of its cohort that were released the same year, chooses not swagger but rather understated, yet confident strides. if Kouros is the embodiment of male sexuality, and Chanel Antaeus of male seduction, Santos, while sensual in its own right, is more steeped in dignity and self-control. Sweetly aromatic, punctuated with piquant juniper and zesty-green basil, smoothed out with lavender, Santos is relatively lighthearted in demeanor. If it were a personality, it would be magnanimous. It knows its power, but chooses not to wield it. For that reason, its spiced core, its cedar and sandalwood interior reveals a more sensitive side to its density. Nice guys finish last, and Santos, with all its tempered beauty, has always been overshadowed by its more macho peers, but it is by no means a mere footnote. In tact, it remains in production today, still holding it own. The vintage, on the other hand, is quite the treasure.

Santos de Cartier men's cologne has been my absolute favourite since it was first introduced in 1981 or 1982. Yes, when originally released, it came in a sexier designer bottle, with a removable/replaceable brown and gold glass bottle, framed inside a gold-plated outer case with faux gold screw heads. I can recall paying as much as £180 for a 100Ml bottle back in the early/mid 1980's in Selfridges. Over the many years I've been purchasing it, the bottle design has got a little plainer (now in a striated black glass bottle with small chrome/silver accents). I've also noticed that the overall strength and staying power of the fragrance has been slightly reduced over the years, but the price has dramatically reduced in real terms, with Cartier London now selling 100Ml for £88.00 plus P&P. All that being said, it remains by far the one fragrance I simply adore. Even after all these years I'm frequently told by others how much they love the smell and asking for the maker's name. It has this unique exotic quality to the smell, with hints of tropical woods and exotic spices. I find the aroma lasts at high strength levels for at least 6 hours and a has a clearly noticeable, lingering smell, even after 12 to 24 hours. As for the more recent Santos de Cartier Concentree, it smells pretty dreadful ~ I don't know why they bothered! Over many years I've tried and liked or loathed many high-end designer fragrances. The only ones that stood out were Christian Dior Eau Sauvage eau de parfum for men, but the recent redesign of the fragrance has ruined it, so I always try to buy only the original formulation. I'm currently awaiting orders of samples from Amouage and Acqua di Parma, so I can report on these at a later date. As for Creed Aventus, I'm not willing to pay £285 for a scent that lasts less than an hour and has hints of Fairy liquid, dead weeds, Toilet Duck and compost!

I have an old 30ml travel spray of Santos from last century - a glass rechargeable flacon in a container with the distinctive gold frame and gold screws reminiscent of Cartier's iconic Santos watch, named after Brazilian aviator and inventor Alberto Santos Dumont. The presentation clearly identifies Santos as a luxury product, whose quality is apparent. Santos is an elegant, classic gentleman's fragrance, a complex blend that opens with a flourish of aromatics and juniper, then spices on a bed of woods. Beyond that my inexpert nose is unable to discern individual components, but unless I'm imagining it there seems to be an animalic note that reminds me of Portos by Balenciaga which I don't detect in the later version. The lavender is apparently an olfactory metaphor for steel, and the spices allude to gold, a reference to the stainless steel and gold of the legendary Santos wristwatch. The combination of aromatics in this is reminiscent of Gianfranco Ferre's Pontaccio 21. The dry down is sublime - vetiver, patchouli, woods, enhanced with a dry vanilla and gently resinous amber. Santos is a very classy gentleman's fragrance that embodies the traditions of Western perfumery, polite and inoffensive . Extremely versatile, Santos works for any occasion - formal, informal, casual, even romantic and is office-friendly and work safe. Performance is above average, and in light of its high quality, Santos is excellent value. An elegant, classic and timeless fougère that does not smell dated, Santos is perhaps best suited to a confident gentleman of style - this is the fragrance of a man who has his shit together.

If I close my eyes, I can see my Grandfather, with his strongly brewed and very sweet mug of coffee, sitting on the porch with his rolled tobacco between his tar stained fingers, drawing in and exhaling his cloud of fumes. Other times he may be passionately retelling an adventure from a bygone era or cracking a joke with his sarcastic sense of humor that you never really knew if the joke was on you. About 5 years ago I found a miniature 4ml bottle amongst my Uncles belongings (Gramps son), which he'd left behind in a box. I put it away thinking he may come back for it but never did. Tonight, while moving things about I came across the bottle and dabbed the tiniest amount on the top of my hand as I was already wearing Miss Dior. I don't know what I smell, all I know is that this is what my Grandpa smelled like. It smells soo familiar that it takes me right back, as though Grandpa has never left this earth. It smells exactly the way I remember, on the collar of his shirts and church suit jackets, his pillows. I use to love wrapping myself up in his big stately mahogany bed, which stood in the most Northern room so would be drenched in sun all day. You would fall asleep in the warmth of the sun, with this scent in your nose. Even his leather bag, wallet and his tobacco bag would have an air of this scent around it. Do I smell Leather? Tobacco? Coffee? Sunshine? Or is just my extremely vivid memory scent of Gramps? Whatever the notes are, it is exactly as I remember Gramps. Wise, caring, comforting, warm and charming.

I'd call Santos a gentle powerhouse. Especially Polo was very guilty at being in your face. Santos is a bit different. Much like Cartier timepieces, this is a understated and subtle scent. The point here is to show subtle class. This is not the scent for a bón vivant. The opening is a very clean lavender-citrus. The citrus is a bit dusty and musky, and compliments the lavender. Pepper, nutmeg and various spices join the opening, and gives the whole composition a very spicy and malty feel. The base is a thick accord of patchouli, sandalwood, amber and coconut. All the 80s players are here, in big and bold form. A scent this complex could easily loose itself, but it's beautifully tied together. It's quite radiant, yet never imposing. If I was so to sum up Santos in it's end stage, it'd be spicy woods. There is one caveat. If you are in the market for a big bold 80s scent, I am not sure if this is for you. Whilst Santos has castoreum and other musks, everything is treated with care. The end result is a scent that is quite hard to actually pull notes out of, instead it all plays as one big scent. If you were looking for a 80s powerhouse, I'd perhaps look at Kouros instead. If you do want a 80s gentleman scent, then give this a try. It's fantastic. The Concentreé version is no slouch either. It's a greener version of Santos, and more complex. Personally I prefer the original. Longevity is excellent - 12+ hours. Rating: 9.5/10