Cartier walked into Watches and Wonders 2026 with what amounted to a double feature. The Roadster, discontinued in 2012 after an 11-year production run, is back. And the Crash, the asymmetric icon first made in 1967, has been turned inside out in a skeleton platinum edition limited to 150 numbered pieces.
The Roadster Returns
The original Roadster drew from automotive design: a tonneau case shaped like a car's dashboard, a crown guard inspired by a fuel cap, and a sense of mass that sat well on the wrist without being heavy. Cartier scrapped it in 2012, and the aftermarket has been asking for it back ever since.
The 2026 Roadster is faithful to that spirit but refined by a team of over 100 artisans, according to Fratello Watches. The four recessed screws that sat at the lug tips on the originals have migrated to the bezel in a rivet format. The crown has been redesigned and integrated more tightly into the case profile.
Two sizes are offered. The Large measures 38mm wide with a 47mm lug-to-lug span. The Medium comes in at 34.9mm by 42.5mm. Both are around 10mm thick. Dial options are blue or white. Water resistance is rated at 100 metres, which makes the new Roadster substantially more practical than the original.
Cases come in steel, yellow gold, and two-tone steel-and-gold. Monochrome Watches noted that the steel versions, in particular, should land at a price point that makes the Roadster one of the more accessible entries in the current Cartier lineup.
The Crash, Stripped to the Bone
The second headline belongs to the Cartier Privé collection's 10th edition: the Crash in skeletonized platinum. At a glance, the watch looks even more distorted than the standard Crash because the open-worked movement amplifies the visual tilt. Hypebeast described it as appearing "as if the crown itself has dragged the movement downward into its irregular frame."
The in-house calibre 1967 MC was developed specifically for this case shape. Its 142 components are arranged to occupy as little space as possible. The bridges are shaped into Roman numerals and hammered by hand, a process that takes nearly two hours per movement. The effect is that the dial markings and the mechanical architecture become one and the same thing.
Limited to 150 numbered pieces. Pricing was not disclosed at the booth but is expected to land firmly in Cartier Privé territory, which typically starts in the low six figures.
Cartier did not try to reinvent anything today. It looked backward, picked two designs that people already loved, and made them better. That turned out to be enough.
Sources: Fratello Watches, Monochrome Watches, Hypebeast, Revolution Watch, Wallpaper*
