The Cartier Tank is one of the industry’s longest-produced watches, with a history that spans over a century and includes a vast portfolio of sub-models and design variations. With its straight brancards and geometric cases, the Tank is a luxury watch icon and continues to influence many aspects of watchmaking today. It’s a watch historically worn by royalty and other influential individuals, such as Andy Warhol, Truman Capote, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and more recently, Rami Malek and Tom Holland.
Don’t let the Tank’s harsh name fool you, though. It’s a sophisticated and versatile collection adored by men and women alike. It’s also a Cartier watch that holds value. Join us as we unpack the trailblazing Tank and its uniquely shaped sub-models with an overview of the collection’s history.
Common Cartier Tank Characteristics
- Rectangular or square-shaped case with a smooth bezel and straight brancards.
- Chemin de Fer minute track comprised of right angles.
- Roman numeral, Arabic, or simple index hour markers.
- Sword-shaped hands.
- Crown with a blue cabochon.
- Stainless steel, two-tone, gold, or vermeil finish.
- Quartz or mechanical movement.
The famous Cartier watch and jewelry empire was born from humble beginnings in Paris, France, in 1847. The company still operates out of France today. However, all modern Cartier watches are made in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, earning them the coveted title “Swiss Made.” Before the 1900s, Cartier was known worldwide for its fashion-forward jewelry catalog. It wasn’t until 1904 that the company designed its first men’s wristwatch, the Cartier Santos, made at the behest of aviator and close friend of Cartier, Alberto Santos-Dumont. The Santos was by no means the world’s first wristwatch, but it is often considered the first modern wristwatch designed for men during an era when pocket watches were a wardrobe staple. The Santos is also significant because it laid the foundation for the Cartier catalog as we know it today, including the Tank collection.
Louis Cartier, the grandson of Cartier founder Louis-François Cartier, created the Tank collection in 1917. While the Tank follows a similar design blueprint to the Santos with a geometric-shaped case, it has its own identity heavily inspired by Renault FT-17 tanks used during World War I. Looking at a Renault tank from a bird’s-eye view, the square-shaped case resembles the cockpit, while the straight brancards running parallel to the dial resemble its treads, and the famous chemin de fer minute track echoes the tracks left behind as the tank heads into battle. It’s a genius design concept that has since evolved into a world-famous collection widely sought-after for its recognition, exclusivity, and association with high style.
The First Cartier Tank: Normale
The inaugural model, now known as the Tank Normale, debuted in 1918 when Cartier gifted an early prototype to American General John Pershing. Cartier officially started production on the collection in limited quantities in 1919. The Tank Normale was a massive success, and Cartier quickly got to work on another variation of the Tank called the Cintrée. More recently, the Tank Normale made headlines as the latest Cartier Privé offering, a collection of reissues from Cartier’s vault.
Cartier produced the Tank in three regions around the globe during the Tank’s early production: Paris, New York, and London. The Paris headquarters produced the Tank first, led by Louis Cartier, the creator of the Tank collection. New York was next, starting production of the Tank in 1921, followed by London in the 1950s. Despite taking a few liberties with its design here and there and operating from different corners of the world, Cartier managed to honor the core design of the Tank. In doing so, the brand curated an eclectic portfolio of Tank watches that would be virtually impossible to cover in its entirety here.
With that said, let’s take a brief trip through the Cartier Tank’s history as told by some, but certainly not all, of the most notable models in the collection.
Tank Cintrée: 1921
The Cintrée was the first variation of the Tank. While the original model featured a shorter case, the Cintrée had a longer, more rectangular case with a slight curved. It came to market during a time largely defined by art deco design and was perfectly on-trend with its distinctive elongated case. The Cintrée has also been a fixture on various celebrities’ wrists since its debut, such as Fred Astaire, Steve McQueen, and fashion icon Ralph Lauren. The collection is still in production today and, in many ways, honors the original Tank model’s design.
Cartier produced limited quantities of the inaugural Cintrée, making it one of the most valuable vintage Tank watches on the grey market.
Tank Louis Cartier: 1922
Cartier took advantage of the success of the Tank Normale and Cintrée by releasing several more models during the roaring ‘20s. Perhaps one of the most iconic is the Tank Louis Cartier, also known as the Tank LC or the Tank JC after Jean-Jacques Cartier. It is the quintessential Tank and one of the collection’s most successful sub-models. It is always produced in precious metal and is distinguished by rounded case edges and a crown that is often decorated with a blue cabochon.
Tank Chinoise: 1922
Cartier released the Tank Chinoise the same year as the Tank LC, paying homage to Asian culture with a design resembling a Chinese temple’s silhouette. The Tank’s signature brancards still flank the case and extend outward towards the bracelet to act as the lugs. However, two more bars border the top and bottom of the case and mirror the design of entry gates seen throughout Asian architecture. “Chinoiserie” is a broader term for Western works of art and décor that embrace this aesthetic, hence the name “Chinoise.”
Tank Allongée: 1922
Cartier appropriately named this edition of the Tank “Allongée,” which translates to “elongated.” With its provocative, stretched-out proportions and curved case, the Allongée is reminiscent of another model released during the same time, the Cintrée.
Tank Savonette, Tank Basculante, Tank à Guichets
The next several decades were an era of significant expansion for Cartier watchmaking, during which the Tank continued to push the boundaries of traditional watch fashion with its non-round case shapes. The Tank Savonette played with the concept of protecting the crystal by covering it with a flap. This design never quite took off and was overshadowed by the Tank Basculante, which featured an innovative swiveling case, much like the JLC Reverso. The curious Tank à Guichets, meaning “small opening,” ditched the traditional dial design in favor of small windows displaying hours and minutes.
The Tank Obus: 1920s
The Tank Obus is often distinguished by lugs that look like bullets and a perfectly square case without the standard extended brancards. While these features remain a constant throughout the Obus collection, the series is also peppered with stunning design elements, such as models decorated with diamonds and the polarizing thick Roman numeral bezel Obus seen on Tyler the Creator’s wrist.
Tank Étanche & Tank Asymétrique: 1930s
Cartier kept the momentum of the popular Tank going well into the 1930s and 1940s, debuting several models, including the Étanche and Asymétrique. “Étanche” translates to “waterproof” in French – the perfect moniker for the first waterproof Tank. The Asymétrique, which remains a fixture of the current-production Tank catalog, is distinguished by an evocative asymmetrical case.
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The 1950s – 1960s
The next several decades were an interesting time for Cartier. The brand didn’t release very many new variations of the Tank, preferring instead to upgrade the existing collection. One of the most significant new releases during this time wasn’t even a Tank watch. It was the mind-bending Crash developed in London in the 1960s.
Tank Must de Cartier: 1977
Cartier sold the New York branch in the 1960s, during which many vermeil, or gold-plated, Tanks started to flood the market. Many regarded these watches as cheap and not up to par with the exquisite Cartier brand. The Maison eventually improved and marketed these watches as the Must de Cartier in 1977, naming it after the famous slogan, “Cartier, it’s a must.” Today, the collection is positioned as an affordable entry point into Cartier ownership, including vintage and current-production models.
Tank Américaine: 1989
The Américaine is an evolution of sorts of the Cintrée, featuring a similar curved rectangular case and a long, slim profile. When it appeared in the Cartier catalog in the late 1980s, the Américaine was the first curved waterproof Cartier Tank watch. The collection made headlines in 2023, featuring an even sleeker, curvier case shape and several design set options.
Tank Française: 1996
Cartier added the Française to their lineup in 1996 to appeal to the modern collector. The contemporary watch is one of the most iconic and recognizable Tank sub-models, often pictured on the wrists of celebrities, world dignitaries, and countless other public figures. It is the essence of the classic Tank. Features include sword-shaped hands, Roman numeral hour markers, a geometric case (often square-shaped instead of rectangular), and a tank-like metal bracelet. The Française remains a staple of the Tank collection with a sleeker, more contemporary silhouette.
Tank Divan: 2002
The Divan turned heads in the early 2000s with a twist on the classic Tank aesthetic. It follows the same Tank recipe as many of its predecessors, including straight brancards, a chemin de fer minute track, and a crown decorated with a blue cabochon. Only now, the case is squatter, almost as if the traditional rectangle case has been flipped over on its side.
Cartier Tank Anglaise: Early 2000s
The Anglaise is yet another reimagination of the original Tank, with the crown integrated into the brancards. The Anglaise is one of three models that pays homage to the three original Cartier locations, with the Anglaise representing the London branch.
Tank Solo: 2004
Cartier released the Solo in the mid-2000s, following a similar strategy as the Must de Cartier. It has a similar design as the immensely successful Tank Louis Cartier but is more affordable because it sometimes opts for quartz movements instead of mechanical and is available in stainless steel. Additionally, the essence of the Tank LC is present, but with a differently shaped case.
2005: Transition to In-House Movements
By the mid-1970s, Carter was no longer family owned and had transitioned from three branches of operation into a single entity. However, the most significant recent development in Tank history was the establishment of Cartier’s manufacture in Geneva, Switzerland, in the mid-2000s. With this move, Cartier shifted the production of their watch movements in-house. Previously, the company had relied on movements produced by various prominent watchmakers. Paris outsourced movements from Jaeger LeCoultre, Audemars Piguet, Piaget, and many others. New York mainly relied on movements made by the European Watch Co., a company the branch acquired in the early 1920s. Lastly, London sourced movements from multiple companies, including Jaeger LeCoultre.
Tank MC: 2013
Even though Cartier continues to innovate and add to its ever-growing catalog of timeless Tank watches, the last stop on our trip through Tank history is the Cartier Tank MC – aka “Manufacture Cartier.” As its name would suggest, this collection is entirely powered by in-house movements. The case has a slight curve, and the dial features a small seconds sub-dial.
The Cartier Tank is a watch steeped in history. It has weathered a world war, ownership changes, and constantly evolving watch trends to remain one of the most sought-after luxury watches in the world. With that, we turn out eyes to the future to see what the Tank has in store for us next.