The reimagined 1990s model is back on the cutting edge!
From the moment it first appeared in 1917, Cartier's famous Tank has lived through a number of reincarnations. Some incarnations looked extravagant, yet the majority of Tanks carried key traits with them throughout the model's long history spanning over a century: the rectangular case, a winding crown set with a sapphire cabochon, Roman numerals and the railroad minute track on its dial.
There were of course some exceptions: the Tank à Guichets from 1928 swapped its hands for a jumping hour dial with a minute disk, the Tank Basculante from 1932 could cleverly stow away its dial by having part of its body pivot within a larger frame, and the Tank Asymétrique from 1936 morphed the rectangular case into a parallelogram.
Digging around in the archives, Cartier occasionally unearths models from the past, polishes them up and presents them as charming novelties. The Tank Chinoise born in 1922 was dusted off last year, and Tank Must from 1977 was welcomed back to the line in 2021. It’s Tank Française's turn in 2023.
Cartier's "French" model debuted in 1996 as the first Tank on an integrated bracelet with sharp angles on the lugs and bracelet's links. There was also a large Tank Américaine model and an imposing Tank Anglaise. Its release is reinforced with a campaign video directed by Guy Ritchie in Paris. Tank Française shines in front of the camera alongside stars Catherine Deneuve and Rami Malek.
Seven model versions have been released for 2023: three in steel (small, medium and large, including the only mechanical model, measuring 36.7 mm × 30.5 mm, equipped with an automatic Caliber 1853 MC movement based on the Sellita SW100-1) and four in yellow gold (quartz movements in two case sizes: 32 mm × 27 mm and 25.7 mm × 21.2 mm, with or without diamonds).
So what’s changed in comparison to earlier editions? The winding crown is now further recessed into the caseband, the outer edge of the bracelet's links are closer together, the alternation between polished and matte surfaces on the bracelet has been replaced with overall satin-brushed components, and the brancards framing the case are also slightly bigger.
Last but not least, the Roman numerals are now applied on the dial instead of printed, adding another dimension of volume to the dial. Française was a true best-seller in its day, and many predict the updated model will share the same fate.