The Tank watch is Cartier elegance embodied, a pure and precise design, an uncompromising line. From its very creation in 1917, Louis Cartier made the distinct aesthetic choice of a rectangular shape, as opposed to the round watches of his generation. The Tank was already an avant-garde piece when launched and continues to be today. The two parallel brancards are its signature. Inspired by the design of a combat vehicle viewed from above, this watch follows one clear graphic principle: the brancards were the treads, the case was the turret. For the first time with the Tank, the case attachments were aligned with the strap to maintain the rhythm of the design.
With the launch of the Must watches in 1977, the Tank watch, a Maison watchmaking icon created sixty years earlier, was made available in a vermeil version. With a burgundy or all black dial and a large gold-colored logo, it freed itself from traditional watchmaking codes, opting instead for elegant simplicity.
Faithful to the spirit of the 80s, the new Tank Must watch is available in three monochromatic colours that are embedded into Cartier’s DNA: red, blue and green. Steel watches that favour minimalist dials with no Roman numerals or “rail-tracks” and a fully chromatic look with matching straps.
Wearing it becomes a statement. Vanguard Andy Warhol and his Tank were inseparable, he said about it: “I don’t wear a Tank watch to tell the time. Actually, I never even wind it. I wear a Tank because it is the watch to wear!” By refusing to wind his watch, the leader of pop art sanctifies the elegance of the Tank.
Timeless, sure of itself and of the purity of its design, the Tank watch captures the zeitgeist in 2021. After more than a century, it has been reinvented with the Tank Must. Tank and Must, the fusion of two Maison icons: on one hand, Tank, essential and dandy, and on the other, Must, a name immortalized at Cartier in the 1970s that revisits the classic conventions of luxury.
“The Must watches are part of the Maison’s heritage and legend (...). They have withstood the test of time thanks to their instantly recognizable style, but also their excellent craftsmanship, which Cartier applies to all its creations right down to the smallest detail.” Pierre Rainero, Director of Image, Style and Heritage at Cartier.
Tank Must de Cartier
Tank Must is a chic watchmaking feat worn by many. A Maison signature whose design and movements are continuously evolving, driven by Cartier’s watchmaking commitment to constant progress. The Design Studio has reworked the design of these new Tank Must with monochrome versions and an original version based on a new solarbeat photovoltaic movement that has a life span of 16 years.
Taking direct inspiration from the Tank Louis Cartier, the design of the Tank Must has been developed while staying faithful to the historic model. Rounded brancards, revisited dial proportions: finesse is the guiding force behind this new design. A watch that dares to return to great classicism down to the smallest detail, with a precious pearled cabochon winding crown and the return of a traditional ardillon buckle on the leather strap version. A watchmaking classic from the Maison whose sophistication is measured on every level, from its steel strap with curved links, entirely redesigned and interchangeable, to the latest high-efficiency quartz movement with an autonomy of around 8 years.
Sticker Price $2,720 USD large size with colorful dials on matching strap; $2,840 USD, $2,970 USD and $3,900 USD for each different size on stainless steel bracelet; and $2,480 USD, $2,610 USD, and $3,550 USD for three different sizes sporting a Roman Numerals dial with interchangeable straps. For more info on Cartier click here.
Louis Cartier Tank
The Louis Cartier Tank cultivates its timeless elegance in color. Created in 1917, the Tank watch very quickly spawned several variations. Louis Cartier reworked its design from as early as 1922. Its case was stretched, brancards refined and edges softened. The new Tank Louis Cartier marks the rebirth of a classic.
“Rail tracks”, cabochon sapphire, Roman numerals, Louis Cartier laid the foundations of a signature watchmaking aesthetic, with its very latest version perpetuating this tradition to within a few subtle nuances.
The choice of blue and red was a must, as these colous are a part of Cartier’s DNA. An intense red and a bright blue highlight and enhance the watch’s pure lines. Cartier has added sophisticated details to these two precious versions, including Roman numerals and gold-coloured “rail tracks”, which help to enhance the dial’s graphic intensity. The blue version is in 18K pink gold, the red in 18K yellow gold, both coordinated with the straps, these two watches come with a manual wound Manufacture 1917 MC movement.
All the technical specifications of these new watches appear below. Please click on the images to enlarge. Sticker Price $13,100 USD. For more info on Cartier click here.
