Cartier Tank Alternatives

It can be a struggle not to overuse the word “iconic” when describing fancy wristwatches, but the Cartier Tank is a watch that definitely earned that adjective. The Tank has been popular for over a century, worn by the likes of Muhammad Ali, JFK, Princess Diana, Truman Capote and Andy Warhol. Its rectangular shape was so influential that now, any similarly shaped watch can be generically referred to as a “tank.” For those looking for a Cartier Tank alternative, we’ve put together this list of tank (and tank-adjacent) watches from ten top watchmakers.

If you’re looking for an affordable Cartier Tank alternative, get yourself a Seiko SWR049 and call it a day. But if you have the budget to consider some of the top luxury watch brands, this list is for you.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso

We’ll start with the most obvious Cartier Tank alternative of all: the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso. Note that the Reverso isn’t really a tank, exactly–a true tank has lugs extending straight out from the edge of the case, somewhat resembling the treads of a tank (which is supposedly where Louis Cartier got his inspiration for the design way back in 1917).

But the Reverso is probably the second most iconic rectangular luxury watch there is. Launched in 1931, the Reverso was famously inspired by a polo player whose watch crystal was broken by a ball during play. The reversible case of the Reverso allowed its caseback to face out and absorb impacts that a crystal likely couldn’t handle. It’s unclear exactly how useful this actually was, and while the Reverso remained popular for 15-20 years, it had faded into obscurity by the time the “Quartz Crisis” happened.

The Reverso was revived in the 1980’s, when JLC was owned by VDO Automotive. By then, sapphire crystals were common, which largely made the reversible nature of the Reverso obsolete from an impact resistance standpoint. But they’re good-looking, interesting watches, and the relaunch was a success. By the 1990’s the Reverso lineup was getting new complications and the Duoface model was launched, with an additional dial instead of a flat metal back.

Nowadays, the Reverso is one of the most frequently recommended luxury dress watches on the market, having been made with countless variations like jumping hours, skeletonized movements, tourbillons etc. One favorite is the three-face perpetual calendar version designed by the brilliant David Candaux, the Grande Complication à Triptyque. Its calendar display is on the carriage (inner back plate), not connected to the movement. It gets “nudged” one day forward each night at midnight by a pin reaching from the movement.

Whether you choose a simple steel model (starting around $2,500 for used ladies’ models and $5,000 for men’s sizes) or a Grande Complication, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso is a worthy Cartier Tank alternative.

Patek Philippe Gondolo

Another fairly obvious choice for a luxurious Cartier Tank alternative is the Patek Philippe Gondolo. The original Gondolo collection was launched in 1910 as a collaboration with Patek’s largest authorized dealer at the time, Gondolo & Labouriau. They were Brazil’s exclusive Patek distributor, and they supposedly sold 1/3 of all Pateks at that time! But those Gondolos were mostly pocket watches, and their relationship with Patek ended in 1927.

The modern-day Gondolo collection of rectangular wristwatches (usually with brancards on the side of the case) was launched in 1993. But keep in mind that some Patek tank watches made form about 1960-1980 are now unofficially called “Gondolo” models by collectors too. For a classy and straightforward ladies’ Cartier Tank alternative, you should be able to find Patek Philippe “Gondolo” models like ref. 4268 and 4824 for under $7,500. Decent unisex options (like ref. 3519) start closer to $9,000.

But Patek Philippe, being one of the world’s most expensive watch brands, has also offered some impressive high-end complications as part of the Gondolo collection. If you’re looking for an exotic six-figure Cartier Tank alternative, you could consider the platinum 5101P, featuring an extraordinary 10-day power reserve and a tourbillon that is not visible through the dial. It’s one of my favorite salmon dial watches.

A. Lange & Söhne Cabaret

For a more obscure but equally impressive Cartier Tank alternative, the discontinued Cabaret (1997-2013) from A. Lange & Söhne is well worth a look. Like most Lange watches, it was only offered in precious metals, but the big date model could still be considered an entry-level A. Lange & Söhne.

The Cabaret ref. 107.021 (yellow gold) and 107.032 (rose gold) should be attainable for around $20,000, which isn’t cheap–but the level of finishing you get from Lange is spectacular. The case dimensions (25.5mm wide and 42mm lug-to-lug) make it a credible men’s watch, although it wouldn’t look out of place on a woman either. And if you want a platinum tourbillon model that can go toe-to-toe with that Patek 5101P, you can always pick up a 703.025F for about $125,000.

Audemars Piguet Edward Piguet

The discontinued AP Edward Piguet is an excellent oft-overlooked alternative to the classic Tank Louis Cartier line. Currently, the only watches in the Audemars Piguet catalog that aren’t Royal Oak derivatives are the Code 11.59 and the Remaster. But the Edward Piguet was a classy rectangular dress watch line while it lasted (roughly 1991-2022).

Edward Piguet models were offered with a variety of complications including big dates, perpetual calendars, and tourbillons. You can find skeletonized tourbillon models for over $100,000 or simple time-and-date models like the 15121OR for under $10,000.

Its 27mm width (29mm for chronograph models) doesn’t sound huge, but make no mistake–with a lug-to-lug measurement of over 45mm, this was primarily a men’s watch line. In general, for tank watches, I find it more useful to look at lug-to-lug measurements than width.

Franck Muller Long Island

Franck Muller is a bit of a forgotten and underrated watch brand today, but they were crushing it in the early 2000’s. Funky fonts, crazy complications and wild colors were their calling cards. Plus, Franck Muller popularized the tonneau case years before Richard Mille was a big deal. But they made other case shapes too.

The Long Island is Franck Muller’s Cartier Tank alternative, offered in a variety of metals and complications over the years. Although their quartz models are a bit overpriced at retail, there are some automatic versions as well, and there are often deals to be had on the secondhand market.

White gold three-hand models like the 1200 SC above (32.4 x 54.5 mm) should be attainable for under $8,000. Even solid gold perpetual calendar Long Island models like ref. 1200 QP usually go for less than $20,000.

Rolex’s Cartier Tank Alternative: Cellini Prince

The original Rolex Prince lineup was popular in the 1930’s, and nice examples of those old Princes were very collectible up until 2000 or so, when the market’s taste for sports models began to overshadow everything else in the vintage Rolex world.

Rolex also offered an underrated line of four Prince watches as part of their Cellini lineup from 2005-2015. These were Rolex’s first watches with exhibition casebacks. Two styles were made in white gold (ref. 5441 and 5443) along with one each in yellow gold (ref. 5440) and rose gold (ref. 5442). Each one featured a textured dial pattern that matched its movement finishing, like the sunbeam pattern on this 5443:

Lots of watch buyers choose a Rolex, and lots of watch buyers choose a Cartier Tank. Not so many choose a Rolex tank. Pre-owned white gold Cellini Princes can often be found for under $10,000, making them an excellent Cartier Tank alternative for the price point.

Tudor Le Royer

Nowadays, Tudor only makes watches with round dials. But they experimented with some different shapes from the 1970’s through the Tudor Hydronaut era of the early 2000’s. And if you’re looking for a Cartier Tank alternative around $1,500, you could consider a rectangular Tudor Le Royer model.

Le Royers were made with both automatic and quartz movements, in both women’s and men’s sizes. 13006 is my favorite automatic men’s Le Royer reference, while 15003 is the cleanest-looking men’s quartz Le Royer. Here’s a nice example of a Tudor Le Royer ref. 15003 from Marcels Watch Group:

The 15003 is powered by a humble but reliable ETA 950.001 quartz movement. Although it’s nothing fancy, you shouldn’t have any parts availability issues in the near future. The same applies to the automatic versions as well.

Cartier Tank Americaine Alternative: Omega De Ville Andrew Grima ref. 511.0377

Omega made some classic tank watches in the past, like the 511.0404. And then there’s this “elongated tank,” ref. 511.0377. It’s a suitable alternative to the tall and slim Cartier Tank Americaine.

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Noted British jewelry designer Andrew Grima designed dozens of watches for Omega’s “Emerald Collection” in 1969, most of them very angular, and this is my favorite. You can find quality vintage tank watches from numerous brands, but the 511.0377 is something a bit special. Solid gold examples are worth about $2,500 while gold-filled versions are around $1,500.

Lang & Heyne Georg

For an upscale modern Cartier Tank alternative in the $50,000 ballpark, the Lang & Heyne Georg is worth considering. Lang & Heyne, based in Dresden, Germany, has been making high-end classic watches since 2001, and the Georg launched in 2017. Its three-lug design is similar to that of the Cartier Tank Asymétrique, but without the asymmetrical case.

The seconds subdial is unusually large (14.5mm) which gives the Georg an interesting aesthetic. The watch’s overall dimensions (32 x 49 mm including the lugs) are also on the large side. And I would be remiss if I didn’t include a movement shot:

Cartier Tank Asymettrique Alternative: Vacheron Constantin Asymmetrical

If you’re looking for an alternative to the Cartier Tank Asymettrique, the 1970’s-era Vacheron Constantin Asymmetrical ref. 37010 is also worth a look. Keep in mind that Vacheron Constantin is also owned by Richemont, the company who owns Cartier as well as IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Panerai and many other watch brands.

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As the world’s oldest continuously operating watchmaker, Vacheron is regarded as one of the three “Holy Trinity” brands alongside Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe. They’re known for beautiful finishing, advanced complications (including the most complicated watch in the world, the Berkley Grand Complication), and in recent times, their popular sports Overseas lineup.

VC isn’t generally known for unusually shaped two-hand dress watches, but the 37010 is worth a look if you want a classy conversation starter in the $12,000 range. Its trapezoidal case is 36.5mm on its longest side and 26mm wide, making it an unusual and decidedly unisex Cartier Tank alternative.

The Tank has been a big part of Cartier’s resurgence in recent years, helping Cartier surpass Omega in watch sales. Nobody else (except arguably JLC) has been able to make a rectangular wristwatch line with such sustained popularity, but many brands have tried. Hopefully this list of Cartier Tank alternatives has shown you some of the best attempts.