Cartier

A Personal Take on the Cartier Tank

 

Cartier’s Tank design, in all its permutations, is one of the true icons of watchmaking , and I hold it in the same high esteem as I do other milestone watches such as the Royal Oak from Audemars Piguet, the Submariner from Rolex, and the Calatrava from Patek Philippe. It is amazing to me that from the seed of a watch created in 1917, so many branches have formed over the years, and yet all of them clearly showcase their patrimony.

Cartier currently has five collectors centered around Tank: Tank Francaise, Tank Americaine, Tank Anglaise (introduced in 2012), Tank Solo, and Tank Louis Cartier. The Tank Francaise, to me, is best on a lady’s wrist, as even the large model would be considered too small for a man in this day and age. The Tank Americaine has some excellent models in the past, but isn’t really a focus now for the brand. The Tank Anglaise, on the other hand, is new and exciting, and Cartier has put its considerable marketing muscle behind it. I am not a fan of the bracelet on the large model, and am very much looking forward to seeing the rose gold model on the crocodile strap later this year. Tank Solo is a very nice entry level Cartier, but it doesn’t set my heart racing like the more refined Louis Cartier models, my favorite line in the Tank family.

There is something about the Louis Cartier models that speaks to me, and I’d like to share two of my favorite models in that particular case. The first is a model introduced two years ago, and still in production, the “Extra-large” model, ref W1560003.

This Louis Cartier Tank XL has a manual winding movement, the caliber 9753 MC, which is derived from an ultrathin Piaget 430P ebauche, and it can been seen through the sapphire crystal case back:


The rose gold case dimensions are 39 mm x 30 mm, with a slim 8.3 mm thickness, making it fit comfortably under the sleeve.

The dial has many of Cartier’s iconic touches: Roman numbers, with secret “Cartier” signature in the VII, blued steel hands. The textured dial, with radiating sunburst pattern is made  interesting by being broken up by the inner minute track, as well as the date aperture and power reserve arc.

There was a limited production model that I very much like with chocolate dial:


The other model is the Louis Cartier Extra-flat, ref W1560017, which is actually larger than the LC XL above!


The rose gold case is 40 mm x 35 mm, and all of 5.1 mm thick:


 It has a wonderful presence on the wrist.


The movement is the manual winding caliber 430MC, based on a Piaget ebauche (again the 430P, but without complication) and it unfortunately hides behind a solid case back. It is so elegant and refined, and it carries the essence of what I think of when thinking about a Cartier watch.


Could I have only one of these two models, I would choose the Louis Cartier Extra-flat. The generous proportions of the case make it a watch I would wear a lot. I also find it to be very reasonable valued, a sentiment I am finding harder to come by in the current watch marketplace.

Bill