Cartiers Tank Must Watches Build on the Legacy of an Icon – Barron’s

A new trio of monochromatic quartz-powered Tank Musts (US$2,720) take their cues from their predecessors in shades of navy, burgundy and emerald green with clean dials, sleek stainless-steel cases and a synthetic sapphire cabochon crown. Cartier

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Cartier released a platoon of new Tank Must models last month during the virtual Watches & Wonders Geneva event, including a new quartz piece powered by solar-charged photovoltaic cells. All are scheduled to launch in stores in September, and prices are subject to change.

Louis Cartier, grandson of the maisons founder, created the Tank in 1917, at the dawn of the wristwatch age. Following in the footsteps of the legendary square Santos from 1904, the similar Tanks rectangular case was said to be inspired by a birds-eye view of a Renault FT-17 tank, a game-changing combat vehicle used by the French in World War I.

The vertical bars, or brancards (the French word for "stretcher), extended beyond the central case evoking the tanks treads flanking the turret. The design further established Cartier design signatures: radiating Roman numerals surrounding a central rail track, blued steel hour and minute hands and a knurled crown set with a blue sapphire cabochon.

According to brand lore, the prototype Tank was gifted to U.S. General John Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Force in Europe, in 1918 at the end of World War I. The following year, Cartier produced six Tanks for the market, and production remained fairly limited through the 1960s.

In 1922, Louis Cartier reworked the design, stretching the case, refining the brancards and softening the edges to create the Tank L.C. (Louis Cartier), an enduring classic to this day.

Tank entered the cultural zeitgeist when Rudolph Valentino wore his on screen in the silent film The Son of the Sheik in 1926. Subsequent celeb fans included Gary Cooper, Catherine Deneuve, Jacqueline Kennedy (hers was bought by Kim Kardashain in 2017), Princess Diana, and Andy Warhol, who famously didnt wind his. More recently, Tanks have been spotted on former First Lady Michelle Obama, Angelina Jolie, and Meghan Markle.

The latest Tank Musts are named after the Les Must de Cartier Tank, launched in 1977 in response to the downturn caused by the quartz crisis.

Les Must de Cartier was a spinoff brand of more affordable must-have accessories, including watches in gold-plated sterling silver (vermeil) powered by manual-winding ETA or quartz movements. They had modern, minimalist, colored dials in burgundy or black marked only with the Les Must logo and the maisons interlocking Cs, plus matching colored straps. As Cartiers first mass-produced, non-precious watches priced at around US$500, they were a huge hit.

A new trio of monochromatic quartz-powered Tank Musts (US$2,720) take their cues from their predecessors in shades of navy, burgundy and emerald green with clean dials, sleek stainless-steel cases and a synthetic sapphire cabochon crown.

Bold color also infused a pair of new Tank Louis Cartiers (US$13,100) in blue with rose gold and red with yellow gold. Offering a contemporary twist on the original dial design, the rail track moves to the periphery in gold surrounding the Roman numerals and indexes in a colored box with leather straps to match. Both are powered by the manual-winding Manufacture 1917 MC movement.

Another group of classic black and white Tanks are modeled on the original Tank Louis Cartier, staying true to the original with a few tweaks. The steel bracelet with curved links, for example, has been entirely redesigned and is easily interchangeable thanks to Cartiers patented QuickSwitch system.

A range of eight versions in stainless steel are available on interchangeable black calfskin straps in small (US$2,480), large (US$2,610) and extra-large (US$3,550) or on an interchangeable stainless-steel bracelet in small (US$2,840), large (US$2,970), and extra-large (US$3,900). Another duo is set with diamonds on the blancards in small (US$6,000) and large (US$6,850). The two extra-large options are powered by Cartiers 1847 MC mechanical movement with automatic winding, while the others have quartz movements.

A final pair appear traditional, but are anything but. Dont be fooled by the classic-looking dialthe Roman numerals have invisible perforations to allow solar energy to reach photovoltaic cells hidden under the dial that power the watch. Cartiers watchmaking team spent two years developing the quartz SolarBeatmovement, which has an average lifespan of 16 years.

The SolarBeat Tank Musts (US$2,480 in small; US$2,610 in large) are fitted with interchangeable non-leather straps made with 40% plant matter derived from apple waste collected from the food industry in Europe. The strap production process also drastically reduces the carbon footprint while saving water and energy over the typical calfskin strap.

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Cartiers Tank Must Watches Build on the Legacy of an Icon - Barron's