The Cartier Tank was invented by the founder of the brand, Louis Cartier, in 1917. Cartier found inspiration in the lines of the Renault FT-17 tank, which was used during WW1. The shape combines rectangular and square elements, and this core element is to be found on every Tank until today.
The glamorous years of the Cartier Tank
In 1918 Louis Cartier gifted the first prototype of the Tank to General Pershing, and from 1919 production slowly started, with only six made in the first year. The original Tank was quickly followed by different iterations, such as the Cintree in 1921 and the Chinoise. The Tanks’ Art Deco looks resonated well in the stylish and roaring 20’s and the first celebrities such as Rudolph Valentino and Duke Ellington were seen wearing Tanks. Exclusivity was key to the Tank in the first decades of its existence. Coveted and worn by the rich and famous, and by 1969 still only about 6000 watches were produced.
The Great Depression of the early 1930’s did not affect the brands creativity and important iterations such as the Asymetrique originated in that decade. After Louis Cartier’s death in 1942 a few decades of relative silence followed, but the Tank remained the darling of the famous. From Jackie Kennedy to Mohammed Ali and Warren Beatty: all were seen with a Tank. Andy Warhol, another avid ambassador was once quoted “I don’t wear a Tank to tell the time. In fact, I never wind it. I wear a Tank watch because it is the watch to wear”.
