In 2021 one blogger was offered a treat by a watch retailer – to borrow any watch they liked, and wear it for a few weeks.
They wasted no time in choosing. It had to be the Cartier Tank Française, a version of the classic Cartier Tank, created in 1917 in the Art Déco style by Louis Cartier himself, in a then ground-breaking (ie: not round) case shape.
While the blogger raved about her new loaner’s combination of “classic style and value”, she reported that her friends were less convinced.
“It looks like something an old lady would wear,” wailed one.
“It kinda looks like something my grandma might wear,” offered another. “I’m torn between its iconic status and its grandma vibe, and to be honest, it’s fucking me up.”
Admittedly the Tank Française model this person had picked out was a petite 20mm in size and came in a decadent 18k gold case.
But a more generous and arguably more 21st Century spin on iconic/old lady reviews is that Tank Français is such a classic, it’s one watch that transcends age and gender – even time itself.
Princess Diana wore a Tank Français in her mid-30s. But so does Mick Jagger, in his late 70s.
Perhaps to underscore the point, Cartier is today relaunching the Tank Française in seven different styles, in steel and yellow gold, with or without diamonds, in sizing that runs from small to extra-large and in both quartz and mechanical versions. One has a date window, the others don’t.
The 2023 Tank Française arrives accompanied by a short film starring Rami Malek (aged 41) and Catherine Deneuve (aged 79), that the brand says is “the embodiment of French chic”.
The story involves the actors’ paths crossing repeatedly over Pont Alexandre III, the bridge that runs the length of the Seine and connects the Champs-Élysées with the Eiffel Tower. To complete the egalitarian vibe, it’s shot by the famously British Guy Ritchie.
The Tank Française was originally released in 1996, joining other interpretations of the original Tank, including the Tank Cintrée (elongated and curvy), the Tank Américaine (heftier case) and the Tank Chinoise (squarer).
As per the Cartier’s design codes, the Tank Française features black Roman numerals, a white dial, blue sword-shaped hands and a blue cabochon-cut stone on the winding crown.
Arguably the model’s most distinctive feature is its chain-link ‘integrated bracelet’ – ie: a bracelet that forms a continuous part of the case, as similarly seen on Patek Philippe’s Nautilus, Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak and Vacheron Constantin’s Overseas. This too remains a feature of the new models.
“Times change but elegance remains the same” says Cartier of the re-release.
Which is perhaps a neater way of saying you can’t really go wrong with a watch that looks equally at home on the wrist of Mick Jagger, Rami Malek, Catherine Deneuve, or indeed, your gran.
From £3,200; cartier.com
