New movement, historic shape.

Most photos of the jazz legend Duke Ellington don't show him wearing any watch, but the global community of watch enthusiasts value one particular photo believed to be taken in 1928, which shows the pianist and composer sporting a Cartier Tank à Guichets. The model, first unveiled in 1928, was revolutionary for Cartier.

The brand had already received praise from experts for its experiments with shape, but this model was a step forward: the rectangular Tank did away with the dial and used two apertures for the hours and minutes. The Tank with apertures ("à Guichets" in French) has been revived a number of times since the 1930s.

The company marked the brand's 150th anniversary in 1997 with the launch of 150 pieces in cases measuring 37 mm × 26 mm. The winding crown was adorned with a cabochon-cut ruby and moved from 12 o'clock to 3 o'clock, and the surface of the face was no longer one flat plane.

The raised sides of the case top and the Piaget 9752 MC movement were used again for the rose-gold Tank à Guichets, which was welcomed into the Collection Privée Cartier Paris collection in 2005. The crown was minimized, but remained at 3 o'clock. Now the Tank à Guichets has become one of the most important premieres at Watches and Wonders 2025.

The novelty has moved noticeably closer to the historic model. Purists will be delighted to see the Tank's flat armor and winding crown restored to its original position. The watch comes in four versions: yellow gold, rose gold, and two platinum versions.

All versions in different case materials have the same case size: 24.8 mm × 37.6 mm and just 6 mm in height. Fans of Cartier are bound to be pleased that no limit has been set for the collection this time, apart from the platinum boutique version with angled windows (Ref.  WGTA0237).

Availability of this model will be limited to 200 pieces, which have apertures that are shaped differently to the other watches: the jumping hour has been moved to 10 o'clock and the hours are displayed vertically, while the minutes are at 4 o'clock with a 90-degree tilt.

All four versions are equipped with the new manually wound 9755 MC manufacture movement. You still won't be able to observe it in action, as the caseback naturally remains solid.