More Than A Century-Old Yet The Most Contemporary Watch We Know – Cartier Tank

04 Feb, 2023

More Than A Century-Old Yet The Most Contemporary Watch We Know – Cartier Tank

Featured Video

A Collector’s Delight — Arnold & Son Time Pyramid

Tank, a timeless symbol of elegance and refinement, has been a pillar of horological creativity, transcending the changing tastes and fads since its introduction. Its design was inspired by the structure of a combat vehicle from an aerial view; the flanks or the two parallel brancards on either side of the case were drawn from the tank’s wide treads, and the case mimicked a moving turret.

Tank’s design was blatantly contemporary with its rectangular face, a spectacular divergence from the conventional round designs of the time. The timepiece had accented blued-steel hands, Belle Époque Roman numeral hour markers, and a sapphire inlay on the crown. It had an eternal appeal owing to its timeless layout, Art Deco design features, and unpretentious grace. Tank is now available on leather straps or bracelets, dazzling merely or sparkling with diamonds, and featured in steel and shades of gold to complement all wrist sizes and skin tones.

The Origin Of Cartier Tank

It’s difficult to envision a less plausible period than 1917, three years into the carnage of World War I, to design an object that would later come to symbolise 20th-century grandeur and elegance. The Cartier Tank was created in 1917 by Louis Cartier, the founder’s grandson. The Renault FT-17, a French tank employed during the First World War, served as the inspiration behind the iconic design of the Tank. It may sound unusual for a watch, notably one as exquisite as this, to draw its identity from military gear. The Renault tank was the first to have a rotating turret with a compact but effective design for its cannon. The Cartier Tank was a break from the curvaceous jewellery styles of that era. It was captivated by the construction pattern of Renault. American General John Pershing received the Tank’s initial prototype from Cartier in 1918. The first Tanks made their début into the market in 1919. By the early 1920s, the watch had begun to gain popularity. It was a classy, durable, unisex watch with a celebrity fan base.

The Cartier Tank: Sub-Collections

Cartier has been an unequivocal ruler in making transformational moves. More than a century after its debut, the Tank has undergone numerous redesigns, with sub-collections drawn from the original model. It comes in a range of sizes, metals, complexities, and straps, and yet each model maintains the Tank’s wonderfully crisp, clean appearance, for which it is renowned and adored. Let’s explore various Cartier Tank series, from traditional models to rare and esoteric designs.

Tank Louis Cartier

Louis Cartier is one of the most elegant iterations of the Tank that sells like hotcakes among watch connoisseurs. It is regarded as the original Tank and has served as a template for all other Cartier Tank designs. It is admired for its elegant proportions, which include a slightly expanded rectangular case and dial, as well as sleeker, rounded bezel inserts or vertical bars that go down either side of the case and flawlessly integrate the strap.

Tank Américaine

The elongated and curved Tank Américaine was developed by Cartier designers in 1989. It has a similar slender shape to the Tank Cintrée from the 1920s but with a more noticeable curve devised to fit the wrist better. Only precious metals were used to create earlier iterations of the Tank Américaine. 2017 saw the introduction of stainless steel variants in the series, created in honour of the 100th anniversary of the Cartier Tank.

Tank Française

The Tank Française, a sporting update on the traditional Tank, was unveiled by Cartier in 1995. The house created a chain-link bracelet that resembled the caterpillar tracks of the Renault military tanks for this version. The Tank Française features straight, sharp edges, providing a contemporary appearance.

Tank Anglaise

Debuted in 2012, Cartier Tank Anglaise features models for both men and women. With the Anglaise, two significant changes were made to the traditional design. First, it had a chunkier and much curvier case with respect to its predecessors, which overall softened the watch’s appearance. The second unique characteristic of the Tank Anglaise was that the crown came integrated within the bezel. Also, instead of the traditional cabochon found in vintage Tank watches, there was now a table-cut stone.

Tank MC

Cartier introduced the Tank MC in 2013, capitalising on the trend of large-sized timepieces. The watch retains the famous Tank design DNA while adding a manly edge. On top of the traditional ‘rail-track’ dial, the wider display enables adding a small-second counter and a date feature.

Must De Cartier

Must De Cartier, translating to ‘Cartier, it’s a must,’ is a famous watch line introduced by Cartier amidst the ‘quartz crisis’ of the seventies and eighties. People were swept by the quartz, battery-operated timepieces that were less complicated and more affordable. Although Must De Cartier was a response to this crisis and came equipped with a quartz calibre, Cartier ensured the watch was still as luxurious and charming as the other models. It had a well-designed case and all the signature elements that had made Tank such a watchmaking phenomenon.

Cartier Tank – A Legacy Of 100 Years

Cartier watches are inherently an asset since they retain value and appreciate over time, like gold or silver. These timepieces are prized possessions and highly collectable among watch connoisseurs. Like any design icon, the Tank has established itself as the preferred watch for the who’s who of society. It became the symbol of class and charisma for many prominent figures over the decades, including Princess Diana, Muhammad Ali, Cary Grant, Andy Warhol, and more. Jacqueline Kennedy, the former first lady, is renowned for owning and often flaunting a Tank. Kim Kardashian is said to have paid a hefty sum at an auction for an antique model of a gold Cartier Tank that belonged to Jackie Kennedy in 2017. Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, has also been seen sporting a Tank watch, which she had apparently inherited from her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, who herself wore the watch quite frequently in the 1990s. In essence, Cartier Tank is a part of a long tradition, a legacy that will endure forever; and it will continue to adorn the wrists of watch enthusiasts for the coming 100 years as it had for the last 100.