Introducing The Cartier Roadster Returns After 14 Years

Just when you thought that Cartier has pulled at all the heartstrings it could’ve possibly pulled at, they come out of the woodwork with yet another recognisable model from their past catalogue. A few years ago, it was the opulent Tank Normale, followed up by the cult classic Tortue and its monopusher chronograph variant, not to mention all the attention-grabbing, hype additions to the ultra-exclusive Privé line. There are actually quite a few delectable Privé models to contend with this year, but I’d argue that the biggest news out of the Parisian jeweller’s office is the revival of the Roadster, a sporty watch with a design prime for reinvention.

With their status as luxury tastemakers, it’s difficult to say that Cartier is here jumping onto a trend - but it feels like the right time for them to bring back the Roadster, as Y2K is once again as relevant as ever. Despite the Roadster being discontinued more than a decade ago, Cartier’s revival is much more down the evolution than revolution pathway. It retains the automotive-inspired dial and date cyclops modelled after a headlight, with the conical crown’s groove reminiscent of a fancy 1950s lug cover, perhaps.

Offered in steel, two-tone, or full 18k yellow gold, the new Roadster will also be available in two sizes - a very sensibly-dimensioned “Large”, and an even smaller “Medium” - measuring 38mm x 47mm and 34.9mm x 42.5mm, respectively. What will be important for on-wrist comfort when the eventual wearers curl their fingers around the burl wood steering wheels of a coachbuilt Alfa Romeos is that the thicknesses stay right around 10mm for both. For those that get caught in a light drizzle on the way to the concourse, you’ve also got 100 metres of water-resistance across the board to make sure you can put up your cloth roof without worrying about the watch.

Of the seven new models, six stick closely with what Cartier knows best - subtly silvered dials with Roman numerals stretching to the bezel. Even the sportiest model of the lot, a sole blue-dialled variant, keeps it pretty simple by just inverting the silver and blue colours. All this subtlety aside, Cartier made sure that these could actually be used for some sporty activity. The numerals and sword hands are filled with lume, and at least for the steel models, given plenty of contrast against the dial for legibility. For the two-tone and gold models, however, the hands are also in gold, and don’t stand out against the white dials as much - I think I would’ve preferred these with black outlines, similarly to how the numerals are filled in with grey.

Part of the reason why they’re able to stay relatively slim is the movement choice - the 1847 MC for the Large, and the 1899 MC for the Medium. The former was originally developed by Cartier and Richemont’s in-group movement maker ValFleurier exclusively for the watchmaker of shapes, before its design was further modified for wider use by the group as the Baumatic base. Both have been used extensively in Cartier’s line-up, the 1899 MC most recently featuring in the well-received Tank Louis automatic. Despite a small difference in size, they share similar specifications - 4Hz beat rate, 40 hour power-reserve, and a 23-jewel construction, though you won’t see any of their decoration thanks to closed casebacks across the board.

Outside of the brand’s special and limited pieces, the standard-production Cartier catalogue skews towards the extremes of round and rectangular. The newly revived Roadster will do a good job of bridging the gap between the four-sided Tanks and Pantheres, and the pebbly Ballon Bleu and Baignoire by reintroducing a tonneau shape into the mix. It’s actually quite a bit brawnier than I first thought looking at the press release. Compared to the discontinued models, the bezels seem wider, the crown is larger (though better-integrated), and the screws that once sat at the ends of the lugs now move to the inner bezel.

That alone is enough to justify this reintroduction for me, but it makes even more sense when you consider Cartier doesn’t exactly have a line fully comfortable with being sporty. Naturally, we won’t be seeing helium valve-equipped Roadsters anytime soon, but with the inherent connection with adventure and athleticism through its design, as well as precedent set by past models like the Roadster S, I see the model as easily moulded into different case materials (ceramic, carbon, maybe?), and adopting a racing chrono dial and movement pairing.

Brand: Cartier
Model: Roadster

Diameter: 47mm x 38mm (Large Size); 42.5mm x 34.9mm (Midsize)
Thickness: 10.06mm (Large Size); 9.7mm (Midsize)
Case Material: Steel, yellow gold and steel, or yellow gold
Dial Colour: White dial with Super-LumiNova or Dark Blue Super-LumiNova
Indexes: Varnish-applied
Water Resistance: 100m
Strap/Bracelet: Case-matched Bracelet/strap equipped with the QuickSwitch system; second straps in alligator of various colours or rubber for the dark blue dial

Caliber:  Caliber 1847 MC (Large); Caliber 1899 MC (Midsize)
Functions: Hours, minutes, central seconds, date
Power Reserve: 42 (large) and 38-40 (Medium) hours
Winding: Automatic

Price: 9,300 USD in steel in the midsize, 10,200 USD in steel in large, 18,300 USD and 20,000 USD in large and small two-tone, and 51,500 USD and 57,000 USD in gold (which are limited).
Availability: Now

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