Cartier Skeleton Watches: The Range Explained

Cartier's skeleton watches have openworked movements and no solid dial. On some of them the numerals are part of the movement. Cartier has made skeletons across several collections, so it helps to know which model and calibre a listing is for.

Current range

In October 2026, the skeleton watches on Cartier's US Fine Watchmaking page are all in the Santos family.

Santos de Cartier Skeleton

Reference	Case	Movement
WHSA0015	Steel	9611 MC, hand-wound
WHSA0028	Steel, green lacquer	9611 MC, hand-wound
WHSA0016	Rose gold	9619 MC, hand-wound

• The case measures 47.5 x 39.7 mm and is 9.08 mm thick.
• Water resistance is 100 m.
• On WHSA0028, Cartier says the hour and minute bridges form the Roman numerals.
• WHSA0015 comes with a steel bracelet and an alligator strap. Cartier lists its QuickSwitch strap system and SmartLink bracelet adjustment.

Santos-Dumont Skeleton with micro-rotor

Reference	Case	Movement
WHSA0032	Steel	9629 MC, automatic
WHSA0030	Rose gold	9629 MC, automatic

• The case measures 43.5 x 31.4 mm and is 8 mm thick.
• The micro-rotor is shaped like the Demoiselle aircraft.
• Water resistance is 30 m, lower than the Santos de Cartier Skeleton.

The movements

• 9611 MC: hand-wound. Cartier lists it at 28 x 28 mm and 3.97 mm thick, with 138 parts and 20 jewels. It is used in the steel Santos de Cartier Skeleton and was used in the 2013 Tank MC Skeleton.
• 9619 MC: hand-wound, listed for the rose gold Santos de Cartier Skeleton.
• 9629 MC: automatic with a micro-rotor. Cartier lists it at 23.2 mm across and 4.4 mm thick.
• 9624 MC: automatic, a skeletonised version of Cartier's 1904 MC. It has two barrels and a 48-hour power reserve.

Earlier and limited skeletons

These are not on Cartier's US Fine Watchmaking page but turn up on the resale market:

• Tank MC Skeleton (2013): palladium case, 39.1 mm wide and 9.3 mm thick, hand-wound 9611 MC.
• Crash Skeleton (2015): platinum, 45 x 28 mm, hand-wound 9618 MC, limited to 67 pieces.
• Cartier Privé Crash Skeleton (2026): platinum, hand-wound 1967 MC, limited to 150 pieces.
• Pasha de Cartier Skeleton ADLC (2022): reference CRWHPA0017, 41 mm steel with a black ADLC bezel, 10.45 mm thick, automatic 9624 MC. The numerals are coated with blue luminous material. Water resistance is 30 m. Another skeleton Pasha has a polished case and no blue lume.
• Rotonde de Cartier Astrotourbillon Skeleton: white gold, 47 mm, hand-wound 9461 MC, limited to 100 pieces, introduced ahead of SIHH 2015.

How to compare listings

• Get the reference. The current Santos skeleton references start with "WHSA". Cartier's site shows them with a "CR" prefix (CRWHSA0015). Search the reference on cartier.com, or in the watch press for older models.
• Match the calibre to the reference. The steel and rose gold Santos de Cartier Skeletons use different calibre numbers on Cartier's site.
• Hand-wound or automatic. A listing calling a Santos de Cartier Skeleton "automatic" is wrong. The Santos-Dumont Skeleton and the 2022 Pasha Skeleton are automatic.
• Water resistance. It is 100 m on the Santos de Cartier Skeleton and 30 m on the Santos-Dumont Skeleton and the 2022 Pasha Skeleton.
• Straps and bracelets. Check whether the second strap is included.
• Box, papers and service history.
• Return policy, so you can have the watch checked after delivery.

The listings below show current eBay asking prices. They are not valuations.