Cartier Tank Cintrée Ladies

There are certain designs that just resonate throughout the years and remain evergreen despite changing trends and tastes.

The Cartier Tank, in all its one hundred-plus years of production, is one such design. Whether in gold (yellow, pink, or white), stainless steel, or vermeil; whether Française, Chinoise, Americaine, or Normale; the Tank by Cartier is one watch that truly deserves to be called ‘iconic.’

Cartier introduced the Tank in 1917, with a run of six pieces — given, or so the legend goes, to American General Joseph Pershing and his staff. Its design was said to be inspired by the Renault FT-17 tanks Cartier glimpsed on the battlefield of the Great War. (Cartier supposedly took the look of the Renault tank's treads and applied it to the lugs, which were integrated via brancards into the case itself.) That first run of six pieces increased to thirty-three by 1920, and by the end of the 20th century, that number stood well in the thousands. In sheer volume alone, the Tank — in all its various models — is Cartier's largest line of watches.

The particular Tank we have here is a Cintrée in a ladies size. Louis Cartier designed the Cintrée in 1921 as a dedicated wristwatch during a time when such timepieces hadn’t yet eclipsed the pocket watch in popularity. With its curved shape, it cleverly echoes the design of the wrist and is exceedingly comfortable to wear — not to mention beautiful to behold!

Housed in a 18mm x 34mm yellow gold case with an acrylic crystal and a sapphire cabochon winding crown, it features a white ‘Paris’ signed dial with printed 'Roman' indices and an inner ‘railroad’ minute track and a blued-steel handset. Powered by a manually wound caliber from none other than Jaeger-LeCoultre — which is accommodated via a ‘bubble’ caseback — it comes paired to a leather strap with an 18K gold deployant clasp.

A stellar, standout dress watch from the King of Jewelers, this Cintrée is a remarkable piece of both horological and jewelry design, and belongs in the collection of someone who will appreciate its history and craftsmanship.

If that someone is you, you know what to do!