A symbol of understated elegance that has captivated many, Cartier’s iconic Tank timepiece is appreciated for its pure design.

For the luxury brand, it all starts with design. Legend has it that Louis Cartier — the grandson of Louis-Francois Cartier, founder of the French jeweller which is today part of the Swiss Richemont Group — was inspired by the mechanised light tank said to have broken the stalemate in World War I.

Viewed from above, the parallel brancards (vertical sidebars) were the tank’s tracks and the case, the turret. The first Cartier Tank was presented as a victory watch to US general John “Black Jack” Pershing in 1918.

The Tank, first developed in late 1917 but only launched in 1919, is also seen as an elegant update of the 1904 square Santos de Cartier watch, which marked an important stylistic achievement when its design broke away from the traditional round shape.

The Tank’s design is a convergence of the four main principles governing Cartier’s creative approach — purity of line, accuracy of shape, precision of proportion, and precious details.

The purity of line communicates the brand’s desire to find the simplest expression of every object. On the accuracy of the shape, formal research made it possible to move from a square (the dial) to a rectangle (the bracelet). The precision of the proportion lies in the balance between the lines and the shapes, and the volume and harmony that emanate from the design and lend the Tank its remarkable elegance.

The precious details can be seen in the level of refinement applied to the watch by Cartier, from the set crown to the contrasting polished and satin-finished brancards, the finely detailed dial and the blued-steel hands.

Roman numerals mark the hours on the majority of the Tank watches. The dial features a “rail-track”, a double line with a minute scale, which together with the Roman numerals intensifies the visual power of the dial. On the Tank watch, the strap attachments (horns) are incorporated into the case by the twin parallel lines of the brancards (the French word for “stretcher”). Beaded or with rounded sides, the winding crown is set with a precious stone.

Over the years, Cartier has produced many variations of the Tank, from the 1921 Tank Cintrée, whose curved design hugs the wrists and was a precursor of the Tank Américaine of the 1980s, to the 2012 Tank Anglaise, whose winding crown is set in the right brancard to achieve a more symmetrical case silhouette.

Andy Warhol, the late godfather of pop culture, said he wore the Tank because “it’s the watch to wear”. “I don’t wear a Tank watch to tell the time. In fact, I never wind it,” he said.

In June 2017, former US First Lady Jackie O Kennedy’s 1962 Cartier Tank watch broke the record for the most expensive Cartier Tank ever auctioned when it was sold for US$379,500 to media personality Kim Kardashian.

The sportier Tank Française, which has a chain-link bracelet, was the choice of another former US First Lady. Michelle Obama wore a stainless-steel Tank Française in her first portrait as First Lady in the White House’s Blue Room in 2009. The late Princess Diana of Wales has also been photographed wearing the Tank Française and the Tank Louis Cartier.

The timeless Tank Louis Cartier has also been worn by activist-actress Angelina Jolie, who epitomises effortless chic.

In 2021, Cartier introduced a pair of colourful Tank Louis Cartier watches as well as a new range of Tank Must with photovoltaic cells that harness solar energy, and eco-friendly straps produced using 40% plant matter that reduces Cartier’s carbon footprint by up to six times.