The story of the Tank began in 1917 under the impetus of Louis Cartier. As history would later confirm, the man was a visionary who had already demonstrated his talent. A few years earlier, in 1904, he had brought to life the Santos watch, arguably the first modern wristwatch. Around 1906, he experimented with other shapes, inventing the Tortue watch and the Tonneau model. In 1912 came the turn of the Baignoire watch with its perfect oval shape. These daring iterations made their mark on the history of watchmaking design and found their way through the 20th century with undiminished panache.
Inspiration
The Tank holds a special place in the realm of ‘form’ (special-shaped) watches. So what inspired it? The story goes that Louis Cartier discovered illustrations of British tanks in the aftermath of the Battle of the Somme, one of the most violent battles of World War I. Extrapolating the silhouette of the vehicle, whose central body is flanked by two immense caterpillar tracks, Louis Cartier came up with the ingenious idea of sketching this watch, whose elongated case sides offer an ideal solution for the strap lugs. And all this with the elegance and refinement characteristic of the Paris-based Maison, whose watchmaking codes became a style signature: Roman numerals, railway-type minutes track, blued steel open-tipped hands and a cabochon-cut gemstone adding a jewelry touch to the crown.
In just over a century, the Tank has appeared in many guises. The original Tank in 1917, the Tank Cintrée in 1921, the Tank Chinoise or the Tank Louis Cartier in 1922… All these models were subsequently revisited through an exploration of new silhouettes such as the Tank à Guichets (1928), the Tank Basculante (1932), the Tank Asymétrique (1936) and other variations in shape and color. A multitude of facets for a watch that has won over countless personalities through the decades.
Much more than 15 minutes of fame
Among the Tank’s most fervent admirers was Andy Warhol, who gave it much more than the famous “15 minutes of fame”. The king of pop art was by no means alone in collecting this singular watch. Mohamed Ali was also a keen admirer of Tank models, which he “considered the very embodiment of elegance”, according to Michel Aliaga, Director of Transmission of Cartier History and Heritage. The Tank has also graced the wrists of Clark Gable, Alain Delon, Yves Montand, Ingrid Bergman, Catherine Deneuve and Rami Malek, to name but a few. One thing’s for sure: the timeless style of the Tank has stood the test of time and has never been out of fashion.
More than 100 years after its birth, the Tank’s aura remains intact. In the spring of 2023, Cartier set the ball rolling by unveiling several Tank models adorned with colored lacquered dials. The summer saw the return of the Tank Américaine, escorted by diamonds set on its sides, before unveiling this fall a Tank Cintrée watch in a 150-piece limited edition in the Rééditions de Carier line. This platinum marvel, with a waisted case elegantly matching the curves of the wrist, beats to the rhythm of a handwound movement and features a winding crown topped with a cabochon-cut ruby. A subtle play of finishes on the elongated case sides, polished on the verticals and matt on the horizontals, confirms the extreme refinement of this timepiece paying tribute to Cartier’s stylistic heritage, within which the Tank continues to occupy a place of honor.
