Cartier Tank Louis

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. The design of the Tank was supposedly inspired by the Renault FT-17 tanks Cartier glimpsed on the battlefield of the Great War. (Cartier 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 33 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 Tank Louis was introduced in 1922, following close on the heels of the Asian- influenced Tank Chinoise. With the Tank Louis, Cartier went back to basics, with the classic lugs that resemble the treads that inspired them. Louis Cartier himself wore the watch that bore his name — and the association with him marks the Tank Louis as the quintessence of the Cartier Tanks.

This particular Tank Louis Cartier, dating to 2023, features a 25.5mm x 33.5mm yellow gold case with a sapphire crystal, a sapphire cabochon winding crown, a lovely green lacquer dial, and a matching yellow gold 'sword' handset.

Powered by an in-house manual winding movement, this piece comes fitted to a green alligator Cartier strap with a signed yellow gold pin buckle.

What better way to break into the Cartier world than with this prototypical icon?