The Cartier Ballon Bleu WSBB0068 is the current pink-dial Ballon Bleu in the 33mm size — and the pink here isn't paint. It's a sunray-brushed dial that shifts with the light, reading pale silvery-rose one moment and warm pink the next. Cartier sells it on an interchangeable steel bracelet, which is exactly why a strap guide for this reference matters: the bracelet is beautiful, but it isn't the only way this watch was designed to be worn.
Here's the correct strap size for the WSBB0068 and the straps that make a pink dial look its best.
Cartier Ballon Bleu WSBB0068 Strap Size and Fit
The essentials:
- Reference: WSBB0068, Ballon Bleu de Cartier, 33 mm steel case
- Correct strap size: 16 mm
On the product page, select the 16 mm option. The Ballon Bleu case is convex in every direction with short, curved lugs, so a strap shaped for this model sits flush against the case where a generic flat strap would leave a gap. Every Helvetus Ballon Bleu strap ships complete with its own steel buckle.
The bracelet on this reference is Cartier's interchangeable type — it releases at the end link, and underneath, the lugs take a strap on standard spring bars. Any watchmaker can make the swap in a minute, or you can do it yourself with a basic spring bar tool.
Size by case width, not by photos: the Ballon Bleu ladder runs 28 mm → 14 mm strap, 33 mm → 16 mm, 36 mm → 18 mm. One more useful note: Cartier has made the pink 33 with two dial finishes — the earlier guilloché version (WSBB0046) and this sunray version — and both are 33 mm cases taking the same 16 mm strap, so whichever pink you own, the size is identical.
A Pink Dial That Moves
The Ballon Bleu takes its name from the blue cabochon-shaped spinel floating in the crown guard, and the WSBB0068 keeps every signature: Roman numerals, blued-steel sword hands, the rounded steel case, sapphire crystal, and an automatic movement — Cartier's calibre 1853 — inside. Water resistance is 30 meters, which is Cartier's way of saying this is a dress watch, not a swimmer.
What makes this reference special is the dial finish. A sunray dial is brushed in fine radial lines, so it throws a band of light that sweeps across the pink as your wrist turns. It's the difference between a color and a living surface — and it's also the reason the strap choice matters more here than on a flat dial.
Two Things Catching Light Is One Too Many
Here's the honest problem with wearing this watch on its bracelet: polished steel links flash. So does a sunray dial. Put them side by side and you have two light sources competing on one wrist — and the dial, being the subtler of the two, loses. The pink reads quieter than it should because the bracelet is doing all the talking.
On leather, the metal stops at the lugs and the sunray becomes the only moving light on the wrist. The pink registers the way Cartier finished it to. That — plus keeping the polished bracelet free of hairline scratches — is why so many owners of this reference wear it on a strap and save the bracelet for occasions. These are the most popular choices:
1. Blue Crocodile – The Pairing Cartier Already Chose
You don't have to guess whether pink and blue work on this watch — Cartier answered that. The hands are blued steel and the crown holds a blue spinel; blue is the only other color on the WSBB0068. A blue crocodile strap for the Cartier Ballon Bleu completes the pairing the watch already contains, in the dressed-up register a pink Cartier deserves. Croc scales catch the light at a different rhythm than the sunray brushing, so strap and dial read as two layers of one design rather than a competition. If you add one strap to this reference, make it this one.
2. Black Leather – Pink at Its Brightest
Contrast does something specific to pink: it saturates it. Against a black leather strap, the sunray dial reads warmer and more vivid than it ever does against steel — and as a smooth, unfussy leather, this is the strap you can wear every single day without thinking about it. The easy choice, and one of the most popular across the entire Ballon Bleu range.
3. Blue Leather – The Same Pairing, Off Duty
The pink-and-blue logic from the hero pick, in everyday form. A blue leather strap keeps the connection to the blued hands and the spinel while staying casual enough for daily wear — it cools the pink slightly, pulling it toward an elegant dusty rose rather than candy. A quietly sophisticated combination that photographs beautifully.
4. Black Crocodile – The Evening Answer
For dinners and events, a black crocodile strap gives the WSBB0068 maximum formality and maximum contrast at once — the pink glows against it, and the exotic texture matches the register of the occasion. This is the strap that turns a daytime watch into an evening piece.
Every compatible option in 16 mm is in the full Cartier Ballon Bleu strap collection.
Keep the Bracelet Perfect
If the bracelet is part of why you bought this watch, a strap is how you keep it that way. Polished links collect hairline scratches from desks and daily wear, and on a watch this current, an unmarked bracelet matters. Wear the WSBB0068 on leather through the week, bring the bracelet out when you want it — and if you've had links removed, store them with the bracelet, because a complete set always holds its value best.
Final Thoughts
The WSBB0068 gives you a dial that changes with the light; the strap decides how much of that you actually see. Helvetus is one of the leading names in the aftermarket strap world, and our Ballon Bleu straps are shaped for the curved 33 mm case — an exact 16 mm fit, buckle included. Rubber straps across our range carry a lifetime warranty, shipping is free worldwide with no import costs, and more than 50,000 watch owners already trust us with their straps.
Cartier gave this watch its glow. The right strap is how you let it show.
