This month we put two questions to Sam: what’s the most underrated watch of 2026, and what’s the most disappointing? His answer to the second one wasn’t a bad watch at all. It was a price tag.
“It’s not a specific watch. What’s been the most disappointing thing for me this year, and I think it’s probably the first time Cartier have missed the bullseye in recent years, is the pricing on the Roadster.”
The Cartier Roadster is back for 2026
Cartier brought the Roadster back at Watches & Wonders Geneva in April 2026, after years out of the catalogue. The new version comes in two sizes, both on Cartier’s QuickSwitch system, so you can change the strap or bracelet without tools:
- Large: 47.2 × 38.7mm, 10.06mm thick, calibre 1847 MC automatic, 100m water resistance.
- Medium: 42.5 × 34.92mm, 9.7mm thick, calibre 1899 MC automatic.
The proportions are slimmer and more refined than the original, and the shape is still unmistakably Roadster. Nobody is arguing about the design. The argument is about the number on the swing tag.
What the 2026 Roadster costs in the UK
These are Cartier’s own UK retail prices as of October 2026:
| Model | Reference | UK retail |
|---|---|---|
| Medium, steel | WSRD0019 | £7,950 |
| Large, steel | WSRD0020 | £8,700 |
| Large, steel, blue dial on rubber | WSRD0014 | £8,700 |
| Medium, steel and gold | W2RD0009 | £15,700 |
| Large, steel and gold | W2RD0010 | £17,200 |
| Medium, yellow gold | WGRD0011 | £43,800 |
| Large, yellow gold | WGRD0012 | £48,600 |
Source: Cartier UK.
Sam’s problem: it’s priced against the wrong watches
Sam isn’t a Roadster sceptic. Quite the opposite.
“I was excited about the Roadster being re-released. I was really, really happy about that. I love the Roadster, it’s a great watch, one of the watches that got me into watches.”
His issue is where Cartier has pitched it. For a steel Roadster he expected something nearer £5,000 to £6,000:
“I thought the pricing should have been more around the five, six grand mark, in line with the Tudor chronograph models, because I think that would have been a good price point.”
For context, a steel Tudor Black Bay Chrono currently retails in the UK from around £5,400. That’s a chronograph for roughly £2,500 less than the cheapest new Roadster.
Sam’s view is that Cartier has taken the Omega approach instead:
“I think they’ve gone down the Omega route, with what Omega do with the Speedmasters. Just put out a slightly higher price.”
The steel Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional now sits at £6,600 in the UK, after a run of price increases. Even that is £1,350 below a medium steel Roadster.
The trade press noticed too. aBlogtoWatch said the relaunch moves the line “significantly upmarket”, and wasn’t convinced the movements justify the price.
Nobody was asking for it
This is the part of Sam’s argument that stings:
“No one was screaming for the Roadster to come back. It was just nice that it did. But I think anyone that might have got attached to it is going to be scared away by the price tag.”
A revival like this lives or dies on goodwill. The people who loved the original Roadster are exactly the buyers who know what £8,700 gets you elsewhere. If Cartier had landed it nearer Tudor money, the Roadster would have been one of the easy wins of the year. At this price it’s a nice watch that has to work hard to justify itself.
“So sorry, Cartier. You missed the target there, mate.”
Want a steel Cartier for less? Look at the Santos
If the Roadster’s shape appeals but the price doesn’t, the Santos de Cartier is the obvious alternative. The large Santos runs on the same calibre 1847 MC as the large Roadster. It also has the same QuickSwitch strap system.
A few we have in stock right now:
- Santos de Cartier WSSA0018, white Roman dial, 2026: £6,850. That’s less than the medium steel Roadster’s retail.
- Santos de Cartier WSSA0037 with black ADLC bezel, 2026, unworn: £7,850, under Cartier’s £8,250 retail. It comes with both the steel bracelet and a black rubber strap.
Browse the full Cartier collection, or come and try them on at 53 Liverpool Street.
Watch Sam’s take
Sam explains it in under 90 seconds on our Instagram: 2026’s most disappointing watch. Do you agree? Let us know in the comments.
