{"id":50441,"date":"2026-04-17T08:52:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T08:52:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/50441\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T08:52:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T08:52:14","slug":"watches-and-wonders-geneva-2026-cartier-goes-straight-to-its-archives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/50441\/","title":{"rendered":"Watches and Wonders Geneva 2026: Cartier Goes Straight to Its Archives"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cartier <\/a>has never been one to shy away from its history, and this year is no different. They\u2019ve rummaged through its archives to pull out its most historic shapes, giving them just enough air to breathe again. There aren\u2019t any forceful reinventions here; it\u2019s more of what we know, just viewed through a different lens and angle, keeping things fresh yet nostalgic. From the return of the Roadster to the new slinky bracelet of the Santos Dumont, Cartier is one of those Maisons that doesn\u2019t have to do too much. A simple reminder of its illustrious history is often enough to bring the house (or in this case, watch fair) down.<\/p>\n

Cartier Priv\u00e9<\/p>\n

\"\"From left: Tank Normale, the Tortue Chronographe Monopoussoir and the Crash Squelette (CARTIER)<\/p>\n

For the uninitiated, the Cartier Priv\u00e9 is an annual “collector’s” series that reinterprets vintage designs for modern times. This year, they’re doing it slightly differently by celebrating the 10th Opus of the Priv\u00e9, highlighting three of the Maison’s most emblematic shapes: the Tank Normale, the Tortue Chronographe Monopoussoir and the Crash Squelette. Each of them is tied together by two threads: platinum cases and burgundy accents.<\/p>\n

More notably, the Crash Squelette (arguably the most sought-after Cartier watch) stands out with its distorted, skeletonised dial that uses its bridge to form Roman numerals. The bridges are hammered entirely by hand, showcasing the Maison’s unending pursuit of technological artistry. It’s no wonder the watch is limited to just 150 pieces worldwide.<\/p>\n

Roadster de Cartier<\/p>\n

\"\"(CARTIER)<\/p>\n

Discontinued since 2012, the Roadster has been living in the minds of collectors and enthusiasts for more than a decade now, but Cartier is finally indulging them. The Roadster revival retains all its important, speedy visual elements that made its predecessor such a cult classic in the first place. It starts and ends with the aerodynamic tonneau-shaped case, a speedometer-esque dial, an integrated conical crown, and a headlight-shaped date magnifier.<\/p>\n

Modern updates show subtly, through the addition of four rivets on the bezel and a more flexible bracelet with the Maison’s signature QuickChange system. The Roadster 2.0 is offered in a large (38 mm) and a medium (34.9 mm), with options of either a steel, steel-and-gold or gold case.<\/p>\n

Cartier Tortue<\/p>\n

\"\"(CARTIER)<\/p>\n

After the Santos-Dumont and Tonneau, the Tortue was the third wristwatch case to be explored by the brand in 1912. Simply put, it’s one of the most historic models in Cartier’s illustrious catalogue, which made it a prime candidate to be released under the Priv\u00e9 collection (most recently in 2024). But the Tortue is finally getting its own time in the sun with the launch of its solo collection.<\/p>\n

It comes flooding out of the gates with eight new versions, ranging from glitzy to grounded, and everything in between. But they’re each tied down by the same visual constraint: a curved, rectangular case with a softness that’s more pronounced than in years past. Of the eight new references, five are suited for everyday wear, while the other three fall more naturally under the m\u00e9tiers d’art category.<\/p>\n

Cartier Santos Dumont<\/p>\n

\"\"(CARTIER)<\/p>\n

There are going to be some new changes around these Santos Dumont parts: namely, a new slinky bracelet. The ultra-thin bracelet (1.15mm) is achieved through rice-bead-like links arranged neatly to form a gauzy mesh that cascades and drapes to any wrist the way fabric would. 394 links collaborate to create a sense of delicacy that feels closer to velvet satin than metal\u2014a perfect show of the Maison’s experience and savoir faire when it comes to jewellery techniques.<\/p>\n

\"\"(CARTIER)<\/p>\n

Three new references will carry this bracelet, in platinum and yellow gold. But the standout lies in the yellow gold with obsidian dial, meticulously harvested from a Mexican volcanic stone. It creates a dial so rich in texture and luminosity that viewing it from any angle creates a mesmerising, mature depth.<\/p>\n

Cartier Baignoire<\/p>\n

\"\"(CARTIER)<\/p>\n

Everybody loves the Baignoire\u2014it’s one of the few pieces that manages to combine both of the Maison’s <\/a>jewellery and watchmaking heritage into one. This year, they’re reinterpreting the model by melding it with a bold stylistic choice: the Clou de Paris<\/a> motif. Tiny pyramids erupt all over the bangle\u2014from the oval case, dial, and the bracelet\u2014as if the Clou de Paris DNA had bonded with the Baignoire on a cellular level. Each playfully tactile surface is carefully hand-polished across different angles, ensuring a visual brilliance throughout. But if the base yellow gold version is insufficient in shine, there’s a glitzier version showered with over 271 brilliant-cut diamonds.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cartier has never been one to shy away from its history, and this year is no different. They\u2019ve…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50442,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[10126,65,28476,1233,1746,28052],"class_list":{"0":"post-50441","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-geneva","8":"tag-cartier","9":"tag-geneva","10":"tag-novelties","11":"tag-watches","12":"tag-watches-and-wonders","13":"tag-watches-and-wonders-2026"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ch\/116419201956151048","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50441","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50441"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50441\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50442"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50441"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50441"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50441"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}