Review: Does The Cartier Roadster Deserve A Victory Lap?
Cartier’s Y2K darling has returned to the fold, but has it done enough to pick up from where it left off? Let’s find out! What We Love: Unique, shapely case Seamless wearability Fun, quirky aesthetic What We Don’t: Lack of lume for a sports watch Slippery, hard-to-operate crown Did the Roadster deserve a comeback? Overall Rating: 8.25/10 Value for Money: 8/10 Wearability: 9/10 Design: 8/10 Build Quality: 8/10 Of all the watch brands that have broken through into popular culture, Cartier stands as one of the most significant. Ever the champions and pioneers of quiet luxury, the French jeweller-watchmakers have built up a remarkable reputation over the course of 179 years. As part of that esteemed legacy are some of the most iconic silhouettes in watchmaking. Truly, models like the Tank, Santos, and Panthère are easily recognisable from their shadows alone! But while these collections possess obvious cultural cachet, perhaps equally as interesting are the designs that are no longer with us. The archival graveyard of Cartier is surprisingly rich, decorated with references as beautiful as they are unconventional. Model lines like the Pasha, the Calibre, and the criminally underrated Drive still maintain cult followings, with dedicated fans praying for their beloved collections’ return even years after their discontinuation. This year did see one such design finally escape the Shadow Realm. Of course, I am talking about the remastered Cartier Roadster, which held a ...