Tanks must play Cartier

Cartier is a maison of watches synonymous with the iconic case shape. Among them are Santos, Tonneau and Pasha. However, the tank must be the brand’s most famous creation. Within the Tank Family there are a huge number of standalone icons, including Tank Normal, Tank America, and Tank Francaise.

The Cartier tank is a watch design that I have taken over a year. I also wrote about it while pursuing the Vintage Longins watch earlier this year. The Cartier Tank Normale remains high on my wish list, but I was also grateful for the more classic tank Louis case and design. There is something fascinating about the shapes and proportions that seem to speak to me of timeless elegance.

Spend time with modern Cartier

My appeal to Cartier’s tank comes despite my passionate interest in modern Santos. Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to spend time with an automatic medium model. This is a true Cartier sports watch with a water resistance rating of 100m (despite the push-pull crown). In the end, I decided to put that assessment on a test and took Cartier Santos with me for a free dive in the Pacific Ocean. It worked beautifully and was beautifully worn on my wrist.

One of the major risks of catching a clock in the ocean (at least in my part of the world) is a clock that catches rocks and other hard surfaces. Rough and falling over a sea swim, this can do real damage even the hardest mechanical watches. Thankfully, Santos’ slim profile and the way it complied with my wrists made it a great sea buddy. To be honest, it was difficult to bring that back to Cartier. I was pretty obsessed with it. The idea of ​​owning a watch from the brand continued to permeate.

Pick up a vintage tank

Recently I had the opportunity to pick up a vintage cartier tank. Specifically, this is a must-see Cartier Tank Vermeil. Sometimes it seems that the clock is finding you. I was getting a haircut at a family friend’s hair salon. In the usual story of everything, work, life, music, we have posted the watch. You know, my hairdresser was once somewhat of a watch collector and enthusiast. As we spoke, a devilish cocky expression came into his eyes, and he suddenly said, “Are you interested in the vintage watches my long-time customers are selling?” I asked him what kind of vintage watch it was. I thought it was like the vintage Seiko chronograph he last offered to sell to me. “It’s a vintage Cartier,” he said.

It piqued my interest. “I want to see it!” I told him. “Well, it’s just I have it here,” he said. He brought out an old red felt box, with a fine gold print of “Cartier” clearly above. When I opened the box I was very surprised to see the stunning Maest des Cartier Tank Vermeil. As I took out the watch, that beautiful Trichola sector dial with a concentric rectangle flashed in the sunlight. I asked about the price and the background of the watch and my hairdresser told me the watch came from the original owner. He walked to Cartier’s store with his mother on his 21st birthday in 1981 and came out of this watch. After talking to the owner, learning about our common passion for vintage motorcycles, committing to one day drinking coffee and getting bank details, the watch was mine.

Cartier Tank is an icon

Frankly, I had no idea about the Masto des Cartier tanks before becoming a proud owner. This particular iteration is a “larger” case size, 23mm in diameter and 30mm in length. This happens to be a classic size, as it happens to be something that matches Tank Lewis for Cartier. There is also a small vintage version that was sold as a women’s watch at the time. Today we can still purchase the mandatory must-have des Cartier models of new tanks that come with a variety of dials. I really like the black ones that are reviewed here. The line has recently been updated with solar-powered calibers, which is a major development.

But we’re talking here about how vintages have to do Cartier tanks. The watch was introduced in 1976 and cost a customer of $500 at the time. He was the creator of Alain-Dominique Perrin and Robert Hocq, and wanted to bring new customers to Cartier through more achievable items. These included things other than watches and jewels such as wallets and pens. The Mast des Cartier tank is based on the original Tank Louis Cartier and is made from gold-plated silver. This is called Vermeil. In the industry, Vermeil requires at least 2.5 micron layers of 10K gold. However, Masto des Cartier watches had a 20 micron Vermeil, which was thicker and more durable. Also, because the case of the watch is silver, the watch is technically made of precious metal.

The Must de Cartier Tank is a vintage lover’s dream

The Maest de Cartier line was a huge hit for the Maison. Sources say that in the mid-1970s, Cartier made around 3,000 watches each year. But by the end of the decade, the brand was producing 160,000 (!) watches each year. This was due to the exotic dial variations on the De de Cartier tank model. These included classic take on Tank Louis’ Roman numeral dials to sector dials, faux stone dials similar to Lapis Lazuli or Onyx, and lacquered dials. Among the options was the Tricollar dial, which I picked up.

Initially it was produced with ETA mechanical caliber and shifted to quartz. In the early to mid-2000s, production of the Masto des Cartier line slowed down and then stopped completely. However, in recent years, Cartier has reverted it to tank shape, as already covered, but prices have risen from the original.

If you want to learn more about Cartier watches in general, my late colleague, George Kramer, is a good idea to read this feature. It’s worth your time. However, the fact that these vintage Cartier watches have proven to be extremely popular makes it quite easy to hunt relatively affordable tanks in excellent condition, taking into account everything. Many examples of Must de Cartier tank models are available in the secondary market for less than 2,000 euros and are reasonably affordable due to the iconic case shape from the famous maison.

The idea of ​​conclusion

In a way, we can see how the Must des Cartier line helped the brand develop a modern identity. Considering history and design, if you have the core of it like Cartier, but are not ready to put serious money on the tank yet, I recommend picking up a must-see Cartier tank. As mechanical watch enthusiasts, we recommend that readers concentrate on obtaining the mechanical version whenever possible. However, the quartz caliber is not a problem at all!

This is not to say there are no issues with the watch. Gold plating can wear out the case, but this appears to be a common problem due to intense use over time. However, if properly handled, these watch cases hold well. Another issue is the “spider” (crack lacquer) on a particular dial. Again, like buying a vintage watch, it’s worth doing your research without compromise and finding examples in the same way you did later. But what do you think, Fratelli? Have you ever owned one of these? If so, what kind of dial did you have? If not, have you ever considered owning it? We look forward to hearing your feedback in the comments section.