The Cartier Roadster Quartz Women's Watch will remind you of an old Duseberg

Written by: Joseph Winn

Once in a while, I see one of those old open-top roadsters rolling around town or puttering through the curves of ocean-cliff roads of California. They call back to a time of racing goggles and long, flowing fenders. The Cartier Roadster Quartz Women’s Watch WE500160 takes on a look that hopes to send you back in time to that road-race era. Like those classic cars, it has a style that mixes the wooden and the luxurious.

While Cartier likes to compare its Roadster watch to the 1950s streetcar sort, the 18k yellow gold case and round-cut diamond filled bezel will make you think of an old Cadillac with a tooting horn more than a middle-class Chevy roadster. The crocodile skinned leather strap has a crinkly brown to it that might make you think of the wood doors of some classic cars. Adding to the luxurious, open-top reference of the styling is another round-cut diamond in the crown.

To stand the test of time, the Cartier Roadster using high quality quartz movement to keep accurate and precise time and the window covering for the white face of the dial is a scratch-resistant sapphire. Other styling touches are roman numerals around the analog dial, with a date of the month window replacing the 3 o’clock position.

PROS

• 18k Yellow Gold Case
• Classic feel of crocodile strap
• Diamonds for the diamond lover
• Quality of parts

CONS

• High Price
• Older styling may deter some

Cartier pulls off their roadster feel for this model, the WE500160’s brown leather strap more effectively giving a stick-shift ad top-down feel than some of the other color and strap choices in the Roadster line. It is nice to find a racing inspired watch for Women when so many of these car inspired watches are designed for the male buyer. Perhaps, by going back a little further in time, Cartier has retained a high sense of elegance with the Roadster line that may be loss if the watch became too sporty.

For some though, and at the price range the Cartier Roadster stands at, a more straight forward luxury look may be more

Time to roll out in that old Buck

fitting. There certainly are other options in the high-end market that go for a classic, historical feel. Art Deco and the industrial age are currently well represented in the dress watch market, and it does seem the Roadster line is a dress watch timepiece. Still, due to its classic styling, I can see this watch working in more ensembles than just pure formal wear. If class and speed are what you are looking for in the look of your watch, then the Cartier Roadster has it at if you are willing to spend.