Watches And Wonders 2022: Cartier - Revisiting The Tank With A Twist
4 min read
Time is here and now for Cartier. Pure lines, exquisite shape, and precise proportions: these timeless timepieces stand out in their own time as well as in the future. The Tank watch is a perfect example of a piece that has stood the test of time. And now, it’s time to revisit the inspiration with the launch of Tank Louis Cartier and Tank Must at Watches And Wonders 2022!
Revisiting An Inspiration: The Journey
The Tank watch, designed in 1917 and adored by generations thereafter, features two characteristic brancards and a crisp rectangle punctuating the strap. It paved the door for many different variants as an idea with unlimited potential, or as Louis Cartier calls it, a "founding thought."The Tank watch was redesigned in 1922, with the case lengthened, the brancards polished, and the angles eased. The Tank Louis Cartier that resulted would go on to borrow the monochromatic dials of its sister and the Tank Must, both of which were born in 1977.
Cartier debuted a Tank Louis Cartier watch in 2021, with a dial that included the rectangle-within-a-rectangle motif first seen on a Must de Cartier watch from the 1980s.
Tank Louis Cartier: 2022 Novelties
The intensity of the monochromatic dials: red, the Maison's hallmark colour, and anthracite grey, a shade adopted from the Cartier watchmaking palette, give the Tank Louis Cartier watch a new radical elegance this year. Furthermore, it has been refined: only four of the twelve classic hour markings remain, and the rail track has been removed.
The Tank Louis Cartier watch appears monochrome at first glance, but depending on the light and how you look at it, it exposes a vibrancy that is rich in shade and depth. To achieve this effect, Cartier's watchmakers used an innovative electrochemical engraving technique that allows for extremely high-precision markings: these almost invisible markings, carried out in different directions, form a group of sections and areas that recreate the graphic pattern featured on the dial of a Cartier Must watch from the 1980s.
The colouring techniques utilised for the red and grey dials are different: lacquer for the red dial and a galvanised finish for the grey dial. After that, a glossy, multi-layered decal is applied to the dials, emphasising the Roman numerals.
Price: INR 945045 approximately
The Tank Must: In All Black
The third edition of the Tank Louis Cartier, with its deep black dial, is even more daring and dramatic. The brilliant lacquer contrasts with the gold case's brilliance. Is there anything like ‘too much black?’
Yes, it's a family affair, but they are two timepieces with a lot of personality. The Tank Must transfers the aesthetic style of the early Tank Louis Cartier watches to steel, evoking the spirit of the 1970s and 1980s. Cartier's watchmakers are inspired by this immense aesthetic potential, which fuels continual cycles of creative research.
The Tank Must 2022 edition includes an all-black dial, which was completely rebuilt in 2021 to be as similar to the Tank Louis Cartier as feasible. This watch is timeless, understated, and mounted on steel. It has a lot of character and is free of distractions and compromises. This new model is now available in two sizes: small and large.
Price:
REF CRWSTA0071: INR 209822 approximately
REF CRWSTA0072: INR 219974 approximately
CRWGTA009: INR 925585 approximately
What a way to revisit a classic and offer the watch fraternity a timepiece with a modern twist!
